Honestly, there’s no single magic number, because trash can placement depends on foot traffic, land use, events, and how often the bins are emptied. That said, a practical starting point for a one-mile urban street is about 10–15 cans per active side, or roughly 20–30 cans total if both sides of the street need service. That works out to one can every 350–500 feet on each side, which is a reasonable baseline for a mixed-use neighborhood.
If it’s a busy commercial corridor, transit stop area, tourist route, or food-heavy district, lean toward the higher end—or even place a can every 200–300 feet in hotspots. For quieter residential blocks, you can stretch spacing to 500–600 feet, but keep cans near intersections, bus stops, parks, and takeaway food spots.
Also, don’t just count cans—plan for maintenance. A slightly smaller number of well-placed, regularly emptied bins usually works better than a lot of overflowing ones. Walk the street, check litter patterns, and adjust after a few weeks. A good rule of thumb: start with 20–30 total for a typical one-mile urban street with both sides in use, then fine-tune based on real demand.