Yes—there are urban trash cans with foot pedals, though you’ll usually find them in specific public settings rather than on every street corner. They show up in parks, transit stations, hospital campuses, food courts, office lobbies, and some city plazas. Most are commercial-grade pedal bins made from stainless steel or heavy-duty plastic, often with a removable liner, double compartments, and weather-resistant finishes for outdoor use. The big appeal is hands-free hygiene: you step on the pedal, the lid lifts, and you avoid touching a surface that lots of people have touched. For cities, they can also improve accessibility for people who don’t want to bend down or use a swinging flap.
That said, outdoor pedal bins have trade-offs. Rain, snow, salt, and heavy public use can wear out the pedal mechanism faster than a simple open-top or push-flap bin. They also need regular emptying and cleaning, because a full or jammed pedal bin can become a mess. If you’re sourcing them, look for vandal-resistant hinges, a weighted base, drainage, fire-resistant materials, and replacement pedal kits. Search terms like “commercial foot pedal outdoor trash can” or “hands-free public waste bin” will turn up suitable models. So yes, they exist—but for urban streets, they’re usually a targeted choice for hygiene-sensitive or accessible locations rather than a universal replacement for every trash can.