Because I’ve just spent about an hour and a half getting rid of roughly 8 billion maggots in my landfill bin. It wasn’t fun and I don’t really want to have to do it again ever in my life.
Is it common to use an anti-fly spray or whatever to keep the fuckers away? If so, any recommendations? I’m prepared to pay £10, maybe £100 for an effective prevention.
22 comments
Buy some wheelie bin bags and clips instead and it’ll always be clean
No , we clean our wheelie bin maybe twice a year with bleach. Generally doesn’t get too mucky as everything is in bags that are tied up . Means there’s not much of interest to flies
I use bleach they don’t like that.
Just make sure that everything you put in is bagged and the bags are tied up tightly so flies can’t get in.
I literally just stick some boiling hot water in mine the day it’s emptied, swill it around and tip it out. Never had an issue.
Every 2 weeks, on the collection day, a chap turns up in a modified van, cleans the bin, and puts a heavy-duty black bag in it. Charges me £2.50 for the service.
No I pay £8 a month to a bin cleaning service and make damned sure that everything is tightly double bagged
I’ve never done anything to our wheelie bin. Haven’t cleaned it at all and we have never had maggots in the bottom. All we do is make sure the bags are sealed and not split and there is no food getting out and we don’t seem to have had an issue.
What the fuck is a landfill bin. Do you mean the bins the dustbin men collect? I’m 60yrs old and never had maggots in any of my bins, but then again I don’t waste any food.
Do you not have a food waste collection too? These days there should be nothing in your bin to cause maggots
I have never had any need to do this. What are you folk putting in your bins that gets maggots?
What are you putting in that bin that can cause maggots like that? I know it’s hot, but there must have been something for the maggots to grow in. If you really do need to waste that much food/organic waste, try and put it in sealed bags – eg a bin liner with the top tied off – then at least the bin collection will take your maggots as well.
If it’s mostly vegetable waste (like peelings) maybe you could put those in a compost bin – some councils supply these, even if they don’t accept food waste, since they have to pay for every kilo of waste that goes into landfill.
I don’t think i’ve ever had maggots in my bin. They do have quite a lip on the top and the lid shuts very well, along with using decent black bags and no loose rubbish.
Sprinkle bleach in the bin and inside the bag before tying it close.
I am not sure what could have caused them if you generally keep the bin clean but what might help if you’re referring to the bin outdoors, is:
1. Strong bin bags which won’t split;
2. Taking out the filled bin bag(s) on the night before, or morning of, the usual round(s) in your area; and
3. Disinfecting the bin if you notice it is dirty, with bleach and water sitting for around 10-30 minutes and identifying the cause of the dirtiness (e.g. splitting bags, foxes or people ripping them apart (which can be addressed by a lock before bin collection).
If you’re talking about your household bin, a great bin is Brabantia – nothing should get in it. Robert Dyas is selling it for the cheapest price on the high street.
Hope this helps!
I once seen I good tip on Reddit that if they get maggots, they leave their bin as far away from the house as possible and leave the lid open. The birds take care of it. I’ve done this before now and it worked!
After a seagull attacked it, I’ve had a dead pigeon in my bin for the past week. I dread to think what state it will be in by next Thursday’s bin collection…
Does your council do a separate food-waste recycle collection?
If they don’t, lean on them to do so.
Meanwhile, bag everything up tight
It is the food waste bin that gets this, even if things are bagged well. Some of the goop gets out somehow, or gets in when they roughly empty it. Sounds counter intuitive but leave it *open* and away from the house when empty (mine goes under a tree) and the maggots either turn to flies and disappear or they get eaten, the bottom is dry as a bone then. The big bin never has issues as there isn’t anything in there except landfill waste, no food or packaging. Cat litter can get smelly but that is well bagged. There are services that come round and clean bins, which seems overkill to me but workable as a one off if very bad.
If you’re separating your waste properly and responsibly then this shouldn’t happen.
This happened to me a few years back. Pretty disgusting isn’t it. I recommend checking your bin for any holes in the top that flies can get in and out of. Ours was slightly broken and the lid remained open. If you find any holes – order a new bin from your council.
keep the lid open and let the birds find the maggots.