Yes—and it’s a more practical question than it sounds. Urban trash cans can be designed for top emptying, side emptying, or both, but “emptied from the top and the side” can mean a couple of different things.
Most city litter bins are built around one main servicing method. A top-emptied bin is usually lifted and tipped into a collection truck, or emptied through a top hatch. A side-emptied bin may have a side door, a pull-out drawer, or a side-loading sleeve so workers can remove bags without reaching through the public opening. Some heavy-duty municipal containers are also serviced by side-loading trucks, which use a side arm or mechanism to lift and tip the container.
Dual-access bins do exist. They often combine a top opening for public use with a side service door for crews. That side door can make bag changes and cleaning easier, while the bin may still be lifted and emptied from the top by the truck. In other models, the side section is the actual emptying point, and the top is mainly for waste deposit. So a bin can have both top and side access without necessarily being emptied from both directions during collection.
The key point is to check the spec, not just the shape. If you’re choosing bins for a city, campus, park, or transit stop, ask: Is it compatible with our collection truck? Does the side door lock? Can it be lifted safely when full? Is the top opening rain-proof? Are there fire-safety and accessibility requirements? Those details matter more than whether the bin looks like it opens from the top and the side.
So the short answer is yes: dual-access and side-service urban trash cans are available, especially in municipal and heavy-duty ranges. But “top and side emptying” usually describes access for users and service crews, or compatibility with different collection methods—not always a single bin being emptied in two directions by the truck. Before buying, confirm the emptying method with the manufacturer and your waste-collection team.