Practical advice for keeping your bin clean

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Last revised: 2 July 2008

It is especially important in warm weather that food waste is disposed of properly.

All food waste should be covered up or disposed of immediately and possibly double-wrap produce like meat and fish in plastic bags.  Try to only cook what you need to reduce the volume of food waste that is thrown away.

If you put pet food in your bin, wrap it carefully: food left out for animals all day may attract flies which lay eggs on it which can then develop into maggots.

Liquid cartons, like milk containers, should be rinsed out before being disposed of.

Bad smells can be minimised by using a bin absorber, which are filters charged with activated carbon, which attract and absorb odours and are available from most DIY shops.  With self-adhesive pads they are designed to be stuck onto the inside of the bin lid and can be cut to fit any size bin.

All refuse should be securely tied in plastic sacks and bags of rubbish should not be left on the ground where they can be opened by animals.

To prevent problems with insects around and in the wheeled bins the lid of the wheeled bin needs to be kept shut and if possible store your bin in a shaded place.  If your bin lid is broken, or does not shut properly, please contact us.

If, despite all these precautions, insects and maggots become a problem you can remove the rubbish and disinfect the bin with hot soapy water or clean it out using a garden hosepipe.

Alternatively you can you use dustbin powder, which is available from the shops selling household products or try a crawling insect spray that covers the inside surface of the bin once it's clean and dry.

Prior to introducing the scheme we did investigate the possibility of these problems but were advised by other Local Authorities who use this collection system that provided the above steps are adopted by householders any difficulties would be minimised and certainly would not constitute a health hazard.