Yes, they do exist—and if you walk through a dense city, you’ve probably seen them without realizing they were purpose-built. Designers make narrow-sidewalk trash bins in slim, space-saving shapes: wall-mounted units, pole-mounted bins, corner models, and compact street bins that sit tight against a building or lamp post. The goal is to keep a clear pedestrian path while still giving people a convenient place to toss litter.
A good narrow-sidewalk bin usually trades capacity for clearance. That means smaller openings, side-loading or top-loading doors, and a footprint that doesn’t stick out into the walking zone. Many are mounted above ground or have angled fronts so strollers, wheelchairs, and delivery carts can pass without trouble. Cities also choose durable, weather-resistant materials and secure lids to reduce overflow and smells.
The trade-off is servicing. Smaller bins fill faster, so they need more frequent collection or smart sensors that signal when they’re full. In practice, the best designs combine slim urban bins with a realistic collection schedule and careful placement—not just a smaller can dropped on the sidewalk. So yes: narrow sidewalks do have dedicated trash bins, but good urban planning matters as much as the bin itself.