Yes, they often do—but not always, and the setup varies a lot from one city to another. In many urban areas, you’ll see public trash cans with two or even three compartments: one for general waste, one for recyclables such as bottles and cans, and sometimes one for compost or paper. The idea is to make sorting easy for people on the go and to keep recyclable materials out of landfill.
That said, a lot of city bins are still single-opening bins. Some older models were never designed for separation, while others are combined units where the compartments share one outer frame but have separate openings and liners inside. You may also find “smart” bins with sensors, compaction systems, or clear labeling that encourages people to sort correctly.
Whether a bin has separate compartments depends on local waste policies, budget, maintenance capacity, and how much contamination the city is willing to manage. Busy streets, parks, transit stops, and commercial districts are more likely to have recycling compartments, but even there the labels and color coding can differ. A blue lid or a recycling symbol does not always mean the same thing everywhere.
If you’re trying to recycle while you’re out, look closely at the labels and openings before you toss something in. If the bin only has one opening, it’s usually safer to treat it as general waste unless signage says otherwise. The short answer is that urban trash cans sometimes come with separate recycling compartments, but you should always check the local setup rather than assume every city bin is sorted the same way.