FOUND: suburban attic
QUANTITY: 2
DESCRIPTION: a heavy galvanized metal cylinder measuring 12.75" wide x 17.5" tall. Handle with loop hooks.
CONDITION: pristine, likely never used.
INITIAL RANDOM IDENTIFICATION: workshop trash can (no workshop at house), something relating to the chimney or fireplace (fireplace was never used), doesn't matter what it was for or why there was two of them because they're awesome.
ACTUAL IDENTIFICATION: Courtesy of owner's daughters, spare liner cans for in-ground garbage receiver
The daughter's remember that there was a fixed can of some kind in the ground that this insert fit into. Located beside the driveway, you stepped stepped on to open it and drop in your food scraps. Once a week the garbage man would come, empty the can and transport the scraps to a pig farm.
This photo from the site Dorchester Athaneum shows a step on cover for a can. (For those who need more details, the Athaneum site has some lovely first hand memories.)
The girls said that their dad was the kind of guy who would definitely have spare cans because he liked to be prepared for any contingency.
You might think that a cutting age technology from the turn century (ad above from Period Paper) is a thing of the past. Not so much, you can still buy and use this in ground alternative to keep regular trash free of critters.
You can read more about these modern cans in Queens, as well as find a source on the Untapped Cities blog.