the door a hinge arm 10 fixed on the side edge of the door adjacent but short of its upper end the hinge arm 10 inclining upwardly and forwardly to pivotal interconnection as at 11 with a related hinge arm 12 fixed on the container at the top and inclining upwardly and rearwardly to said pivot 11 and whose axis is slightly above the major horizontal plane of the top of the container 3 and slightly ahead of the rear end thereof as so hinged the door 4 when fully open entirely clears the then open rear end of the container and so that there is no obstruction of the discharge of refuse from said container see fig3 and 4 the counterbalance mechanism 1 and of which there is an identic arrangement on each side of the container 3 at the rear portion thereof comprises the following in connection between the door 4 and said container a heavy duty lever 13 is pivoted as at 14 in connection with the side of container 3 at a point adjacent but short of the rear end thereof and above its bottom a distance less than half the height of said container the lever 13 is normally disposed at an upward and forward incline from pivot 14 and at its then upper end such lever is formed with an upstanding counterweight 15 of substantial size and weight the counterweight 15 is laterally flat faced and normally engages in a forwardly opening cradle like retainer 16 on the container 3 the retainer when.