For a typical two-block shopping street, I’d start with about 8 to 12 public trash cans. That range works for most busy retail streets because it gives people a bin roughly every 25 to 35 meters in the highest-traffic parts—near store entrances, crosswalks, transit stops, seating areas, and food or drink spots—without turning the sidewalk into a row of bins. If your two blocks are short, quiet, or mostly service-oriented, 6 to 8 may be enough. If they are packed with cafes, quick-service restaurants, tourists, or weekend crowds, 12 to 15 is more realistic, especially if cups, wrappers, and food packaging are a big part of the waste stream.
Don’t space them perfectly evenly just to make the map look neat. Put bins where people actually finish using things: at the end of a block, beside benches, near bus stops, outside convenience stores, and at the corners where pedestrians decide which way to go. A good rule is one bin at each major corner, one mid-block in each high-traffic stretch, and extra bins near food clusters. If the street has recycling collection, pair trash and recycling bins so people can sort easily, but keep the openings clear and the labels simple.
Capacity and servicing matter as much as count. Eight large, well-serviced bins will usually outperform fifteen small bins that overflow by Saturday afternoon. I’d choose covered, hands-free bins around 60 to 90 liters for a shopping street, confirm how often they can be emptied, and make sure they don’t block the clear pedestrian path. Start with 8 to 10 bins, monitor overflow and litter for two or three weeks, then add or move bins based on what you see. That gives you a practical number now and a smarter placement plan over time.