🗑
wastebasket
Unicode: 1F5D1
Description
A classic gray wastebasket or trash can, depicted with an open lid, often showing some contents or a black interior.
Group:
Objects > office
Status:
unqualified
Emotion:
Neutral; primarily conveys the act of discarding, deleting, or throwing away.
Backstory
This emoji was introduced in Unicode 7.0 (2014) as part of the 'Miscellaneous Symbols and Pictographs' block. It quickly became a standard icon for 'delete' or 'remove' functions in user interfaces across various platforms.
Usage Examples
- Deleting a file: 'I need to clear my downloads folder 🗑️'
- Indicating something is unwanted: 'That idea is trash 🗑️'
- Marking something for disposal: 'Time to take out the trash 🗑️'
- Cleaning up: 'My inbox is so full, time to empty it 🗑️'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Universally recognized as a symbol for deleting digital files, removing items, or indicating something is trash/unwanted.
East Asian culture:
Similar interpretation to Western culture, used for deletion or disposal of digital content.