Top Tips to a Clean Bin

To reduce odour and chance of experiencing maggots in hot weather, we have put together some simple guidelines.

Green Bin - Kitchen & Garden Waste

• Keep the lid closed on the wheelie bin and kitchen caddy at all times. Maggots will only appear in the bin if the eggs have been laid in a suitable food source for them to develop. If bins and caddies are kept closed, flies should not be able to enter to lay their eggs. Therefore, if maggots do appear, the eggs are likely to have been laid before the food was put in the wheelie bin.
• Avoid leaving waste food exposed inside the home. This includes leaving dog and cat food out uncovered as flies can lay eggs during this time.
• Wrap all food waste, particularly meat, in newspaper or suitable caddy liners. Squeezing the air out of liners used to contain food waste before they are tied can slow down general decomposition, reduce smells and slow the development of maggots.
• Layer the waste in your green bin. Place a few sheets of newspaper or cardboard on top of each food waste deposit.
• Alternate bins for food waste. If you have any very smelly food waste that you don’t want to leave in your green bin for 2 weeks, then put it in your black bin. We do want to divert as much of this waste away from landfill as possible, but there may be times when you would prefer to do this.
• Keep the bin out of direct sunlight. This will slow general decomposition, reduce smells and slow the development of maggots.
• Double bag animal waste in suitable liners or compostable bags.
• Use a suitable wheelie bin liner. Some supermarkets sell bin liners that are labelled as ‘degradable’. Please note that these items are still made of plastic, are not compostable and are not acceptable in your green bin. For suitable liners see the wheelie bin and caddy liners page.
• Wash your bin. Try using a solution of vinegar and water, either in a spray or as a washing solution in your green wheelie bin after collections. Alternatively you can contact a private wheelie bin cleaning company, consult your local telephone directory.
• Repel insects. Some essential oils, such as citronella and tea tree oil are natural insect repellents. Try smearing your bin lid with one of these oils, if files are a problem but please do not use it if you are pregnant.
• Feed the birds. If you have maggots try leaving the lid open after emptying for a couple of hours and the maggots should disappear.

Grey Bin - Non Recyclable Rubbish

• Recycle as much of your waste as possible. This will reduce the amount of general refuse in your bin ensuring the lid remains shut.
• Place food waste in your green bin. Follow the guidelines above when dealing with food waste to reduce the occurrence of smells and maggots.
• Keep nappies clean. Solids from disposable nappies should be emptied into the toilet where they can be treated appropriately. Nappies should then be bagged and put in the bin. Using ‘Real Nappies’ will reduce the amount of nappies you throw away, help the environment and can save you money, find out more on the real nappy page.

If you have any queries regarding this matter, please call us on 01895 837333.