A photographic collection and categorization of waste containers in public and semi-public spaces The photo collection was created as part of the Urban Waste research project funded by the Vienna Science and Technology Fund WWTF and by the State of Lower Austria [10.47379/ ESR20019]. It contains photos of 217 types of waste containers, consisting of 489 individual containers, that are installed in public spaces, such as parks, shopping streets, and railway stations, as well as in semi-public spaces, such as museums, churches, shopping centres, universities, hotels, and cinemas in more than 75 cities in 19 countries.  The collection is accompanied by a comprehensive categorization table, available in the Excel file. This categorization provides basic information (location, date etc.) and classifies each container system based on location categories and various technical and functional characteristics such as shape, collection fraction, container volume, opening mechanism, signage design, colour, construction material, and additional functions such as ashtrays, compression and dog bag dispensers. The collected data can be a valuable source of information for research in waste management, studies on environmental behaviour, as well as in urban landscape planning, design and architecture.