A container for household refuse or garbage; a waste receptacle.
Compound of 'dust' (representing general refuse) + 'bin' (container). Emerged in 19th-century Britain as urbanization required systematic waste management, replacing earlier terms like 'ash bin'.
This quintessentially British term reflects Victorian sensibilities about waste - calling garbage 'dust' made the unpleasant reality of urban refuse sound more genteel. It's linguistic politeness applied to life's messiest necessities.
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