That's an excellent and very specific question! Yes, absolutely. Outdoor trash bins with a built-in sand compartment for cigarette butts are a real and increasingly common solution. They are often called "sand ashtray bins" or "cigarette disposal units with sand.
Instead of a traditional open ashtray, these bins feature a dedicated section—usually a metal or heavy-duty plastic cup or tray—filled with fine, dry sand. The design is quite smart. Smokers can extinguish their cigarette by gently pressing it into the sand. The sand smothers the ember immediately, significantly reducing the fire risk compared to tossing a hot butt into a bin full of paper waste. Once extinguished, the butt can be left in the sand compartment.
You'll typically find these bins in strategic public locations like outside office buildings, near hospital entrances, in parks, at transit stops, and outside bars and restaurants—anywhere smoking is common but needs to be managed safely. The main benefits are clear: they prevent littering of cigarette filters, reduce the chance of trash bin fires, and provide a convenient, responsible disposal point for smokers. So, next time you're outside, look for a trash bin with a small, sand-filled metal cup on top; that's exactly what you're asking about.