Yuck - Maggots In The Bin Help!!!

Liz_M

I don't think the council are cutting back by switching to fortnightly collections. They used to have weekly collections for rubbish only. Now they have added a recycling collection which will obviously cost a lot more. So by doing these on alternating weeks there is still a collection once a week...so money wise it still costs them the same. I'm not saying whether it was right or wrong of them to do it, just pointing out that they still do one collection a week so if we're talking about where the money goes...it's still the same.

Maybe as it is causing maggot problems, the council might try to encourage people to throw away less food, as at the moment the collections thing seems to be to encourage people just to recycle more?

Good luck with your maggot problems thought I think I would have to get someone to sort that one for me coz I would probably be sick...I'm such a wimp

nixinix

HAve just read this thread, whilst cringing and a thought crossed my mind. Th recyling scheme is all for the good of the environment.... yet we are all using more power to boil kettles/saucepans, using more chemicals etc in order to try and prevent vermin/flies - is this not a case of giving with one hand and taking back with the other.

This is not meant as a criticism of anybody (I would be the first to be doing anything possible to get rid of magots!) just an observation, and thinking that alternate fortnightly collections may not be the best way to go. Unless of course more flies are better for the environment...??? LOL!

jackk_2

Do the councils make any money from all the recyclable materials they collect?? I just thought if they did, would'nt that offset the costs of weekly rubbish collections, maybe from June - Sept when maggotts would be a problem.

Just a thought

Jackie x

moanymoany

I have had this problem in the past. I rang environmental they said bleach is the answer.

I used an empty cleaner spray bottle, filled it with Tesco value thin bleach and sprayed. It works. I left a note on the top of the dustbin to warn the binmen.

If you have two-weekly deliveries and you have 'meaty' waste, put it in a carrier or any plastic bag and put it in a public waste bin away from the house. I know it is not a very friendly thing to do, but the idea of two-weekly deliveries revolts me. It has to lead to more plastic bag use as people try to wrap rubbish to stop it smelling.

The only other thing is burning rubbish that might attract flies.

Stompa

nixinix wrote: »

...yet we are all using more power to boil kettles/saucepans, using more chemicals etc in order to try and prevent vermin/flies...

FWIW I'm not. In the couple of years or so since we started fortnightly collections I've not seen any vermin or maggots. The bin doesn't really smell, and I probably clean it out about twice a year.

nementai

I'm with stompa. All our food and plant waste, ie. anything that could attract maggots, goes into our compost waste bin that gets collected weekly.
Then the other waste, mainly plastic as our council doesn't recycle that, goes in the bin. We generate one small binliner full of rubbish a week on average, and it's rarely very smelly!
Of course the compost bin does get pretty rank, but itgets emptied enough to keep it tolerable.

Vampgirl

We've had alternate bin collection for about 18 months now and I can't say that we've had any problems. Ok there are only the two of us but we rarely even half fill the black bin before its emptied - there are usually only two bags of rubbish in there. I'm not sure why we don't produce much rubbish - the couple downstairs manage to overfill their bin every fortnight :eek:

With regards to maggots and smells... well the bin doesn't exactly smell of flowers, but its not stinky and we've never had maggots and that is despite us putting our organic waste in there (I'd love to compost it, but without a garden its a bit of a non-starter!). The kitchen bin has a lid which is always closed, when we take the bag out it is always tightly tied up and the wheelie bin lid is always kept properly closed.

I don't think we've even cleaned our wheelie bin out once since we've been here but I don't think it really needs it, plus it would mean carrying hot water etc. downstairs and across to the bin. There are lots of companies around here who come around after the bins have been emptied to jet wash your bin for you - seems a rather expensive luxury to me, but its something to consider if you have "problem bins" and don't fancy dealing with it yourself.

nixinix

I didn't mean I had a problem bin, in fact I have never boiled a kettle to clean it either, but I do, prob every 4-6 weeks (if the weather is good) wash it out with bleach and cold water just to try and prevent any bad smells (we have some very bad smelling nappies which go in every day!) and then I leave it open to dry. I just was trying to point out that in some ways we are creating othe problms. I know someone who puts all tin cans through there dish washer before putting them in their recycling bin - so helping with one hand taking with the other. I am in no way trying to tar everyone with the same brush, just saying that after having read this thread it appeared that by trying to solve one problem we can create others IYSWIM.

I didn't mean to open a can of worms..orshould that be magots!?

angelavdavis

Admittedly, maybe not for everyone, but it was suggested that any leftover cooked food that can't be composted could be stored wrapped up in the freezer until collection day, then put in the wheelie bin in the usual way. Just make sure its well labelled!!!!

Stompa

angelavdavis wrote: »

Admittedly, maybe not for everyone, but it was suggested that any leftover cooked food that can't be composted could be stored wrapped up in the freezer until collection day, then put in the wheelie bin in the usual way. Just make sure its well labelled!!!!

I do occasionally leave stuff in the fridge for transferring to the bin just before collection. Unfortunately, I also sometimes only remember that it's in the fridge just after the binmen have collected!