The recycle bin is probably one of the most neglected features of Windows and for good reason! Basically all it does it store deleted files and let you restore them if need be. A useful function, but nothing out of this world.

Since Windows 95, the recycle bin has not changed in the slightest. Even the icon looks pretty much the same, except for some fancier colors and shadows.

BinManager is a free download that adds a little bit more functionality to the Windows recycle bin. It adds an extra item to the right-click context menu that lets you choose how to delete old items from the recycle bin.

windows recycle bin

In essence, it lets you empty all but the most recent items from the recycle bin. Why is this useful you might ask?

  • Normally, you end up having to restore recently deleted items rather than 3 month old deleted items
  • If you have a large hard drive, you can maintain a smaller recycle bin than the 1% minimum permitted by Windows.
  • A smaller recycle bin will also speed up the shutdown process

When you right-click on the recycle bin, you can choose to delete items older than today, yesterday, 2, 3, 7, or 30 days ago. The programs works on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7.

Note that you can also use this in a domain environment by creating a script. I really like this utility more because it is scriptable. One thing I have realized being in IT is that a lot of people don’t even understand what the recycle bin does!

I’ve had many users delete files for months without ever emptying the recycle bin. Since the default value is set to 12% of the hard disk, this can take up quite a bit of space.

If you have users like that, it may not be a bad idea to create script that runs on shutdown and deletes anything older than 30 days in the recycle bin. That way users will save space and you won’t have the headache of going to computers manually.

You can create a JScript (.js) in Windows with the following code:

var bin = new ActiveXObject("BinManager.RecycleBin");

// Report the contents of the recycle bin.
function Report(){
   WScript.Echo("Recycle Bin Holds\n" + bin.NumItems
      + " items\n" + bin.Size + " bytes\n");
}

Report();

// Permanently delete items recycled more than two days ago.
// Note, the argument is full calendar days, so specifying
// zero would delete all items older than today.
bin.DeleteOldItems(2);
Report();

// Permanently delete all recycled items.
bin.Empty();
Report();

Just change the value in the DeleteOldItems function and you’re good to go! Now go to Group Policy Editor and specify the script under Computer Configuration – Windows Settings or User Configuration – Windows Settings.

Overall, it’s a very simple tool that performs a very simple purpose. It may not be useful for everybody, but some will find the value in it! Enjoy!