Our latest foster dog is very food motivated. To the point that she was sticking her muzzle in the five gallon buckets we use to hold recyclables. In order to keep the foster from getting cut on dog food cans my wife wanted a simple hinged lid that would keep the dog out of the recyclables, but still allow us easy access. Here's how I did it.

Step 1: Materials

For this you'll need:

A five gallon bucket with a lid
Two cable ties

Step 2: Tools

You'll need the following tools:

A drill with a bit appropriate to the size of your cable tie
Dremel with cutting wheel (or other sharp implment)
Pliers
Scissors/snips of some kind

Step 3: Lid Preparation

In order for the lid to lift we need to remove a portion of the plastic flaps that allow it to snap tight over the bucket. So choose the side of the lid where you want to place the hinges, and use the Dremel to cut this portion of the flaps away. You could cut the flaps off entirely, but I left them in place for two reasons:

1) It's less work
2) If you leave the majority of the flaps in place you can still snap the lid in place. This will keep curious dog noses out of the recyclables and still allow easy access.

Once you cut off the flaps use your fingers and the pliers to break off any waste plastic.

Step 4: Hinge Installation

To install the hinges snap the lid into place on the top of the bucket.

Now use your drill to make two holes in the lid near the corners of the lid. Once this is done drill two holes in the bucket near the top edge. Make sure they are aligned as closely as possible with the holes in the lid.

Once all the holes are drilled clean the plastic away from the edges of the holes. Then pass a cable tie through a hole in the lid and the corresponding hole in the bucket. Then partially tighten the tie. Repeat for the other side. Test how easily the lid opens and closes. Tighten the ties a little at a time until you get amount of resistance you want. Then trim off the excess bits of cable tie.

Step 5: Finished/Lessons Learned.

You now have a hinged bucket. It's no longer air-tight but will keep prying muzzles out of the recyclables.

On another can I put the lid holes in the beveled edges of the lid. I liked this better as the lid moves easier and the cable ties were easier to string through the holes.