Inadequate Lighting
Kitchens that don’t have enough lighting are a complete nightmare when it comes to cooking, and it can be very inconvenient when you’re trying to chop your veggies.
This usually becomes an issue when no windows are installed to let in all that beautiful natural lighting or no high-quality bulbs to get good artificial lighting.
Whether you’re dicing food in the corner of your kitchen or trying to cook on your stove, the proper lighting is vital for efficiency AND safety. Under-cabinet lighting can lighten up dark areas, and overhead lights can brighten up your other workspaces.
How To Solve This: You should combine task and ambient lighting to get the best of both worlds.
This could include ceiling lights like spotlights or pendants as ambient lighting and either spotlight or LED strip lighting under your wall cupboards for task lighting so you can do your cooking safely and comfortably.
What about UNDER the sink for trash and recycling? I designed kitchens for years, and the space under the sink is not desirable for food or appliance storage, so use it for trash and garbage. As usual, my sink has two doors beneath it. I mounted a bin to the inside of one door to hold a trash bag, and a pull-out bin behind the other door for recycling.