Top tips for a clean wheelie bin
If you have concerns about the Council’s recycling and refuse
alternate weekly collection service, our top tips are here to help
you stop your wheelie bin from becoming smelly and
unpleasant.
- 'Double bag' your waste. All food waste,
particularly meat, is best disposed of by being double wrapped and
tied up to reduce the likelihood of it smelling. Squeeze the air
out of the bag before tying it. The lack of air slows down general
decomposition and reduces smells. Re-use unwanted carrier bags for
'double bagging' the waste. You can also do this for all pet waste
before putting it in the bin or alternatively why not place it in
one of the pet waste disposal bins, situated at public areas around
the district.
- Keep your bin lid down. By doing this, flies
should not be able to enter to lay their eggs. If maggots do appear
the eggs are likely to have been laid before the food was put in
the wheelie bin or the bin may be damaged somewhere. Flies are
attracted to food and other wastes. They lay their eggs on the
waste and then these hatch into maggots. The maggots then turn into
flies. This life cycle can happen within 10 days in summer. If you
get maggots, after the bin has been emptied, clean and disinfect it
well to kill the eggs. Most of the maggots should have gone when
your bin is emptied. If flies do not get in contact with
the rubbish, you will not get maggots!
- Line your bin. When the bin has just been
emptied, place a newspaper at the base to soak up any liquids that
have leaked out from your tied-up sacks.
- Keep your bin out of the sun. Try to avoid
keeping your bin in direct sunlight as the sun will warm up the bin
and increase smells.
- Wash the inside of the bin. Occasionally rinse
the bin, using hot soapy water or disinfectant.
- Get rid of your food scraps straight away. Do
not leave waste food exposed inside the home before putting it in
the bin. Houseflies can lay their eggs that develop into maggots
during the time that it’s taken for you to throw your leftovers
away. Uncovered bins inside the house can also allow flies to lay
eggs on waste food. If flies do not get in contact with the
rubbish, you will not get maggots!
- Keep clean and tidy. Good hygiene in the home
is the best way of preventing the spread of disease and infection.
Flies are all around and have the potential to spread disease; no
matter what type of refuse collection service is in operation.
- Recycle as much as possible. Reduce the amount
of waste left in a bin that may mean the lid cannot be closed.