History Main / TrashcanBonfire

* The PsychoKnifeNut villain from ''Film/TheCrow'' was killed while hanging out around one.

* ''Series/HunterNBC''. A drug dealer is murdered by a ProfessionalKiller, and at the end of the episode Hunter finds the man's fellow dealers commemorating his memory around a burning trashcan. They explain that this was the corner where the deceased made his first drug buy. TruthInTelevision as they're a [[FieryCoverup handy way of disposing of evidence]] if you're busted.

* Nana from ''Manga/ElfenLied'' does one of these... with money. {{Justified|Trope}}, because she has NoSocialSkills because of her background.
* In ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'', Pavlo Zaitsev uses one of these as a meeting place in the episode ''[=Ag2O=]''.

* ''Film/TheRunningMan'', during the outdoor scenes in the area where the poor citizens live. Oil cans with flames inside appear in the scenes when the protagonists first arrive and when the crowds are betting on the game.

* ''Series/Batwoman2019''. Shown along with the requisite rubbish and graffiti to demonstrate how Gotham has become a WretchedHive. In "Off With Her Head", Mary and Luke are searching for a car used in a crime. A junkie tells them he saw the car abandoned in an automobile junkyard, but they have trouble finding it until Mary realises that the junkie who reported it would want to stay somewhere warm. She goes to investigate a burnt-out oil drum and finds the car right next to it.

* ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' has Trashcan Bonfires all over the place to indicate 'hey, this direction is important'. Earlier titles in the series just use them as decoration in town areas whose light may or may not be helpful in combat at night.
* ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' allows you to build your own Trashcan Bonfires at your settlements. They don't require any power to work at all.

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* ''Series/DarkAngel'' featured this in parts of the city.

* Not homeless, but characters on ''Series/{{MASH}}'' would be seen huddling around trashcan bonfires in the freezing Korean winters.

* ''Series/{{Hunter}}''. A drug dealer is murdered by a ProfessionalKiller, and at the end of the episode Hunter finds the man's fellow dealers commemorating his memory around a burning trashcan. They explain that this was the corner where the deceased made his first drug buy. TruthInTelevision as they're a [[FieryCoverup handy way of disposing of evidence]] if you're busted.

* ''Website/GaiaOnline'' has this as an item.

* In the online game ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'', the Hobopolis dungeon is strewn with Trashcan Bonfires.
* ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'' has several of these. Of course, you get the option to shoot the hobos.

* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' has one, and it hurts if you jump into it (not to mention the enemies if they're stupid-enough to jump on top of it).
** Interestingly enough, when you look at the ground around it, you can see a few dollar bills, some of them partially burnt. I guess they got desperate.
** ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' recently received burning oil drums [[http://swamp.tf2maps.net/ as part of the swamp pack]], though they have only been used in community made maps, so far.
* ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' has Trashcan Bonfires all over the place to indicate 'hey, this direction is important'. Earlier titles in the series just use them as decoration in town areas whose light may or may not be helpful in combat at night.
* ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' allows you to build your own Trashcan Bonfires at your settlements. They don't require any power to work at all.

* In ''VideoGame/TheGodfather: The Game'', these act as ExplodingBarrels. Somehow.
* Can be seen in ''VideoGame/MafiaTheCityOfLostHeaven'', in the mission where you have to pick up the racing car.

* You see these here and there in the first two stages of ''VideoGame/MadWorld''; the game refers to them as "man heaters". Because you can kill a guy by shoving them in there. If you do, announcer Kreese Kreely commends Jack for adding fuel to the fire so it can keep more hobos warm for the day.
* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' will have homeless people huddled around these in the city's poor neighborhoods.

* Seen in many levels in ''VideoGame/KingpinLifeOfCrime''.
* These can be found in various places in ''VideoGame/PostalIII''.
* Can be found in several locations in ''VideoGame/Rage2011''.
* Yakuza has one in Childrens Park and usually has a Heat action tied to it.
* These sometimes appear in levels of ''VideoGame/MonsterMadness''.
* ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'':
** Many of these can be found in the Shantytown area, where they provide not only heat but necessary light.
** In the BioshockInfinite/BurialAtSea DLC, there are several of these in the area where you find the Old Man Winter plasmid in Episode Two.
* In ''VideoGame/DarkFall: Lost Souls'', you must extinguish one of these to obtain an item from its ashes.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Penumbra}}: Black Plague'', Philip has to invoke this to [[TelepathicSprinklers set off a sprinkler system]]. This also comes in handy later when having to briefly survive arctic temperatures on the surface.
* In ''Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches'', the Fire set of symbolic items must be burned in one of these.
* ''VideoGame/TheMatrixPathOfNeo'' has a few of these that float around in mid-air thanks to AGlitchInTheMatrix, along with a few non-floating ones.
* ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'' has a lot of them what with hobos being the most common source of blood.
* ''VideoGame/BloodRayne 2''. In the Meatpacking District chapter, Rayne is in an area with multiple barrels that each have a fire burning in them.

* A common sight in ''VideoGame/{{Fahrenheit}}'' as the temperature in the city keeps dropping. An action commands lets you huddle around one for warmth.
* ''VideoGame/Ashes2063'': Steel drums can be seen burning in most settlements, as a source of light and presumably warmth. With how the games take place [[TheApunkalypse decades after the world has ended]], there may not have been much better use for those drums.

** ''Film/Batman1989''. A barrel with a fire in it appears in two different scenes of people watching the Joker's TV broadcast outdoors. The first was members of a motorcycle gang, the other was a construction site.

** ''Film/BatmanBegins'' had this trope: it's how Bruce Wayne disposed of his ID before heading off to the wilds of Asia. The wino warming himself there convinces Bruce not to burn his expensive longcoat too, but to give it to him instead (Bruce having already bought his jacket).
* ''Film/BladeRunner''. There are several visible while Roy and Leon are walking in the street and the bicyclists are riding by. There are two visible in the street where Deckard gets an identification of the snake scale, and three of them can be seen during Deckard's pursuit of Zhora.
* ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' series.
** ''Film/TheTerminator''. While Sarah is dreaming of the post-apocalyptic future, several can be seen in the underground area where the humans are hiding.

* Graverobber, occasional narrator of ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'' is seen disgustedly throwing a tabloid newspaper into a trashcan bonfire at the very end of the film.
* ''Film/{{Rocky}}''

* ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossThe8thDimension''. In the Yoyodyne building, some are visible in the Red Lectroid bivouac as well as one in the Pitt.
* ''Film/{{Flatliners}}''. After being deserted by Nelson at the cemetery, Steckle and Hurley warm themselves near a burning barrel before being picked up by David Labraccio.
* ''Film/{{Patton}}''. Two appear in the Nazi headquarters at the end of the war, where they're being used to burn documents so the Allies won't get them.

* ''Film/WildWildWest''. Several are burning at the encampment of the former Confederate soldiers at Malheureux Point before the arrival of Dr. Loveless's vehicle.
* ''Film/RunningScared1986''. During the scene on the basketball court there's one in the background.

* ''Film/EscapeFromNewYork''. A fire burning in a trashcan can be seen on the street in the scene where Romero approaches Bob Hauk to deliver an ultimatum.
* ''Film/{{Tekken}}''. During one of Jin Kazama's fights there's a shot of a group of people outside watching the battle on TV. They have a fire burning in a trashcan nearby.

* ''Film/ResidentEvilAfterlife''. In the building where the survivors are holed up, one of these can be seen in the cafeteria when they're eating.
* ''Film/DemolitionMan''. Several barrels filled with fire are visible in the AbsurdlySpaciousSewer where Edgar Friendly's people live.
* ''Film/TheyLive''. There are a number of these burning at night in the homeless camp where Nada finds shelter.
* ''Film/TheDarkestHour''. The Russian encampment is lit by a couple of burning trashcans.
* ''Film/StarTrekVTheFinalFrontier''. During the Federation attack on Paradise City, a number of oil drums with flames inside can be seen on the city's streets, providing light and heat.
* ''Film/TankGirl''. While Jet Girl is stealing clothing inside Liquid Silver's garage, a barrel with fire inside it can be seen in the background.
* ''Film/StarshipTroopers''. Rasczak's Roughnecks are having a party on the planet Tango Urilla after escaping the Bug-besieged outpost. A barrel with flames coming out can be seen in the middle of the mass of soldiers.
* ''Film/SaveTheLastDance''. Multiple night street scenes in Chicago feature trash can fires, including on residential streets.
* ''Film/{{Vagabond|1985}}'': Unlike most settings where the trashcan bonfire is used simply to evoke a mood of poverty, here it's relevant to the plot. Two tramps in the abandoned building where Mona TheDrifter is staying knock it over while fighting, starting a fire. Mona has to run for her life, and loses most of her gear, including her tent, which is a major setback.
* ''Film/DeathNote2017''. Near the end of the movie, the Death Note page with Light's name in it floats down from the collapsing Ferris wheel and falls into an oilcan with a fire in it, causing the page to burn up.
* ''Film/BirdsOfPrey2020''. After the Black Mask captures Cassandra Cain and tries to escape with her in a car, Harley Quinn pursues him wearing roller skates. As she does so, a homeless man can be seen warming his hands over a metal can with a fire in it.

* ConversationalTroping during the Watchmen's Strike in ''Literature/TheFifthElephant'', when Nobby insists you need "a big metal drum to burn old scrap wood in" on a picket line, or it's not a proper picket line.

* ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'' has these. You can shoot them and start a fire on the ground.

* ''VideoGame/Ashes2063'': Steel drums can be seen burning in most settlements, as a source of light and presumably warmth.

* ''Film/DemolitionMan''. Several are visible in the AbsurdlySpaciousSewer where Edgar Friendly's people live.