Making the most of your food waste bin
Tuesday 18 June 2019
We’ve put together these top 9 tips to help you keep your food and green waste bin tidy.
Please don’t put compostable bags (including corn starch and other biodegradable bags) in your new food and garden waste bin. Our processor won’t accept them as they look like plastic bags and are seen as contamination.
So here’s how you can recycle your food and green waste without them.
1. Recycle regularly
Put your food and green waste bin out for collection every week, even if it is not full.
2. Squeeze your tea bags
Leave tea bags and coffee grinds to cool off before putting them in your bin. If it gets hot and steamy, it’ll encourage fruit flies. Also make sure you squeeze out any excess water.
3. Soak it up
Use stale bread, food-soiled paper or old newspaper to absorb excess moisture and avoid mouldy stuff getting stuck in the corners of your bin.
Watch how to make your own bin liners out of old newspaper or download a PDF of the instructions.
4. Sprinkle some soda
Sprinkle baking soda inside your bin to keep it fresh.
5. And try a twist of lemon
If you have a small bin you can handle easily, rinse it out once a week with hot water containing a slug of tea tree oil or lemon juice, and then leave it to dry.
6. Swap it out
Alternate food scraps with layers of leaves or lawn clippings.
7. Separate your steaks
Put scraps like meat, fish or bones in the freezer until closer to collection day.
8. Or eat less meat
Meat takes longer to break down than vegetables and attracts flies. The easiest way to avoid this is to eat less meat in the first place. You’ll have fewer meaty leftovers to recycle and you’ll have cut the impact of your food on the environment at the same time. It’s a win-win.
9. Eat more of your food
Write a weekly menu plan and make a shopping list, so you only buy what you need. Recycling food is great, but eating it is better. Find out more at Love Food Hate Waste.
All households received a 120L food and green waste bin and we have limited quantities of 27L caddies and 60L mini bins available. If you have already requested a different bin from us you will receive it shortly. If you would like a different sized bin to what you originally received, please let us know at [email protected].
Thanks to Friends of the Earth in the UK for inspiring many of these tips.
We’ve put together these top 9 tips to help you keep your food and green waste bin tidy.
Please don’t put compostable bags (including corn starch and other biodegradable bags) in your new food and garden waste bin. Our processor won’t accept them as they look like plastic bags and are seen as contamination.
So here’s how you can recycle your food and green waste without them.
1. Recycle regularly
Put your food and green waste bin out for collection every week, even if it is not full.
2. Squeeze your tea bags
Leave tea bags and coffee grinds to cool off before putting them in your bin. If it gets hot and steamy, it’ll encourage fruit flies. Also make sure you squeeze out any excess water.
3. Soak it up
Use stale bread, food-soiled paper or old newspaper to absorb excess moisture and avoid mouldy stuff getting stuck in the corners of your bin.
Watch how to make your own bin liners out of old newspaper or download a PDF of the instructions.
4. Sprinkle some soda
Sprinkle baking soda inside your bin to keep it fresh.
5. And try a twist of lemon
If you have a small bin you can handle easily, rinse it out once a week with hot water containing a slug of tea tree oil or lemon juice, and then leave it to dry.
6. Swap it out
Alternate food scraps with layers of leaves or lawn clippings.
7. Separate your steaks
Put scraps like meat, fish or bones in the freezer until closer to collection day.
8. Or eat less meat
Meat takes longer to break down than vegetables and attracts flies. The easiest way to avoid this is to eat less meat in the first place. You’ll have fewer meaty leftovers to recycle and you’ll have cut the impact of your food on the environment at the same time. It’s a win-win.
9. Eat more of your food
Write a weekly menu plan and make a shopping list, so you only buy what you need. Recycling food is great, but eating it is better. Find out more at Love Food Hate Waste.
All households received a 120L food and green waste bin and we have limited quantities of 27L caddies and 60L mini bins available. If you have already requested a different bin from us you will receive it shortly. If you would like a different sized bin to what you originally received, please let us know at [email protected].
Thanks to Friends of the Earth in the UK for inspiring many of these tips.
