Short answer: usually, no—not if a snowplow hits them directly. A typical urban trash can is built to hold litter and stand up to weather, not to absorb the force of a heavy plow blade pushed by a truck. Plastic bins can crack or shatter, steel cans can dent and bend, and wheeled carts can be knocked over, dragged, or flipped into the street. Even a glancing hit can pop a lid, break a wheel, or tear the can loose from its mounting.
That said, “withstand” depends on the hit. A light scrape from the edge of a plow might only scuff the paint. A reinforced heavy-duty steel or composite can, especially one bolted down or set behind a protective barrier, has a better chance of surviving minor contact. But no standard municipal bin is really impact-rated for a snowplow strike. The plow is simply much heavier and more powerful than the can was designed for.
In real winter conditions, the bigger issue is visibility. Plow drivers are watching the road, curb line, and traffic—not necessarily a small trash can near a snowbank. Bins left too close to the curb or buried in snow are easy to clip. If a can is hit, the result is often a cracked body, bent frame, missing wheels, sharp edges, or a bin that ends up in the roadway. That creates cleanup costs and safety issues for both crews and pedestrians.
If you manage a property or municipal route, the practical approach is prevention: keep bins out of the plow path, use reflective markers, coordinate placement with public works, and remove or relocate cans during heavy snow. Heavy-duty anchored designs can help, but they are not a guarantee. After a storm, inspect bins for damage and report hit-and-run plow damage promptly.
So, can urban trash cans withstand being hit by a snowplow? Occasionally they survive a minor brush, but generally they cannot withstand a direct hit. The smart move is to design and place them so the plow never gets a clean shot at them in the first place.