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Original poster

To consider giving up on food recycling because of fox incursion

64 replies

CarlaH · 12/05/2025 10:43

I am just fed up with coming out in the morning to find our food waste strewn all over the road. We have to put our bins out the evening before as we can never tell when the binmen will come. At the moment they are coming mid morning but they did that before so we started putting our food waste bins out later only for them to return to coming at 6am.

We construct a sort of boxed in arrangement with our other bins because the fox had realised that if we sandwiched the food bin between two other bins it could push it out. Last night I couldn't see any way it could push the bin but still this morning the food bin was on its side on the pavement and the food was everywhere.

We could secure it with a bungee cord but having seen the way the binmen behave I doubt they would be willing to spend the time to wrestle it off and would probably chuck it away as well. They literally walk down the road, empty the food bins into a large bin and then hurl, and I mean hurl, the empty bin on to the pavement or road. I think that as a result of that treatment our bin closure mechanism isn't as robust as it might be.

Any ideas?

OP posts:
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Original poster
CarlaH · 19/05/2025 12:27

I am afraid that we are not garderers and I just don't want a compost bin.

OP posts:
mill1969 · 19/05/2025 11:54

CarlaH · 12/05/2025 10:50

Our council is bankrupt so I am fairly sure that won't work. I don't fancy the rats that can come with using food waste for compost.

Thanks for responding though.

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You don't get rats if you compost properly in a compost bin

Original poster
CarlaH · 19/05/2025 11:51

dizzydizzydizzy · 12/05/2025 18:25

A friend of mine had this problem and put all food waste in the freezer and got out at 6am for the bin men.

Just noticed this post. Our bin was attacked after 6am so in broad daylight. My partner had to leave our house at around 7.15am and it was fine then so the fox came after that.

I came out at around 10am to add something to the bin and that's when I saw the mess.

OP posts:
Original poster
CarlaH · 19/05/2025 08:09

Whyherewego · 19/05/2025 07:19

Definitely just stop putting any meat or fish in. We have the same with the very smart urban Foxes in London, so it's exclusively veg that goes in and with the handle locking it seems to do the trick. Very occasionally they open it but I suspect this is more down to a teen not following orders re meat !
Eta just seen your update, I'd give it a few days and also remember the bin may still smell of meat? Do you bag up the food waste too in composting bags?

Edited

Yes that is a good point about the smell lingering from previous weeks. I am going to give the bin a very good clean and try just once more. We do use the composting bin liners and thankfully this time most of the waste stayed inside it which was an improvement on last week where it was strewn all over the shop.

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Whyherewego · 19/05/2025 07:19

Definitely just stop putting any meat or fish in. We have the same with the very smart urban Foxes in London, so it's exclusively veg that goes in and with the handle locking it seems to do the trick. Very occasionally they open it but I suspect this is more down to a teen not following orders re meat !
Eta just seen your update, I'd give it a few days and also remember the bin may still smell of meat? Do you bag up the food waste too in composting bags?

Original poster
CarlaH · 19/05/2025 07:16

Update

Tried putting the food bin out with only veg/fruit waste. This morning it has again been knocked over so I think we will be giving up now.

OP posts:
parietal · 12/05/2025 20:58

CarlaH · 12/05/2025 13:48

I am not sure that would work since they presumably only find out the food tastes rank after they have spread it all over the road?

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If it is the same fox, they will quickly learn not to open a bin with cayenne pepper. And you can also spray it on the lid and handle and anything the fox might grip by mouth.

dizzydizzydizzy · 12/05/2025 18:25

A friend of mine had this problem and put all food waste in the freezer and got out at 6am for the bin men.

TheFieldOfStars · 12/05/2025 16:46

Abitofalark · 12/05/2025 16:30

I didn't say on the bin. Around it. That means on the ground. So that the smell deters them from approaching and attacking it.

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I don't think spraying bleach on the ground is any better! The weather is warm, people (including children) are walking around in bare feet. Wild animals (and pets) are also likely to get the bleach on their paws, and then lick it off - and for the wild animals, they're unlikely to get help from a vet. There's also the effect on aquatic life to consider when it's washed into the storm drains the next time your neighbours wash their car or water their garden.

Bleach is too dangerous to use it in the way that you're suggesting.

Abitofalark · 12/05/2025 16:30

TheFieldOfStars · 12/05/2025 14:12

I think spraying a noxious substance like bleach onto the food waste bin would be extremely irresponsible! Even if you don't care about the suffering of any curious fox (or cat - cats are attracted to chlorine/bleach type smells) who might lick it, what about the poor binmen? If they get bleach on their hands or even their gloves and absent-mindedly push back their hair or wipe sweat away from their forehead, they could get bleach in their eyes and suffer permanent eye damage.

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I didn't say on the bin. Around it. That means on the ground. So that the smell deters them from approaching and attacking it.

madgreenlemons · 12/05/2025 14:27

Loads of humane fox repellent sprays/solutions online eg this one which is chilli/garlic/citronella. Just mixed reviews on how effective they are! https://amzn.eu/d/cZdPWIZ

Original poster
CarlaH · 12/05/2025 14:25

TheFieldOfStars · 12/05/2025 14:12

I think spraying a noxious substance like bleach onto the food waste bin would be extremely irresponsible! Even if you don't care about the suffering of any curious fox (or cat - cats are attracted to chlorine/bleach type smells) who might lick it, what about the poor binmen? If they get bleach on their hands or even their gloves and absent-mindedly push back their hair or wipe sweat away from their forehead, they could get bleach in their eyes and suffer permanent eye damage.

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Yes thinking more about it I agree that bleach isn't a good idea so won't be doing that.

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TheFieldOfStars · 12/05/2025 14:12

Abitofalark · 12/05/2025 13:33

We have foxes here wandering around every night. The brown food bins lock by closing the lid (it clicks into place if properly shut) and pulling the handle forward until it is hanging down the front of the bin. One night (about 2 am) I looked out of the window on hearing a noise, only to see a fox wrangling a neighbour's food bin. This neighbour usually puts it on top of the landfill bin. The tussle went on for quite a while, throwing it about the street and banging it on the ground but didn't succeed in opening it. Anyway, what about spraying some bleach around the bin so it blocks the smell of food and might deter the fox from trying to get into it?

I think spraying a noxious substance like bleach onto the food waste bin would be extremely irresponsible! Even if you don't care about the suffering of any curious fox (or cat - cats are attracted to chlorine/bleach type smells) who might lick it, what about the poor binmen? If they get bleach on their hands or even their gloves and absent-mindedly push back their hair or wipe sweat away from their forehead, they could get bleach in their eyes and suffer permanent eye damage.

Original poster
CarlaH · 12/05/2025 13:48

parietal · 12/05/2025 13:41

Cayenne pepper is your solution. Buy in bulk and sprinkle on the food before you put the bins outs. The foxes and rats hate the taste. You can also buy a hot chilli spray to spray on the bins and deter vermin.

I am not sure that would work since they presumably only find out the food tastes rank after they have spread it all over the road?

OP posts:
parietal · 12/05/2025 13:41

Cayenne pepper is your solution. Buy in bulk and sprinkle on the food before you put the bins outs. The foxes and rats hate the taste. You can also buy a hot chilli spray to spray on the bins and deter vermin.

Original poster
CarlaH · 12/05/2025 13:36

Abitofalark · 12/05/2025 13:33

We have foxes here wandering around every night. The brown food bins lock by closing the lid (it clicks into place if properly shut) and pulling the handle forward until it is hanging down the front of the bin. One night (about 2 am) I looked out of the window on hearing a noise, only to see a fox wrangling a neighbour's food bin. This neighbour usually puts it on top of the landfill bin. The tussle went on for quite a while, throwing it about the street and banging it on the ground but didn't succeed in opening it. Anyway, what about spraying some bleach around the bin so it blocks the smell of food and might deter the fox from trying to get into it?

That sounds the same design as ours. I have heard it trying to get into the bin and have shouted and scared it off but it just comes back once I am asleep.

It is possible that it has been slightly broken for ages and we haven't noticed but once I find our spare bin I won't be risking the more tempting types of waste going forward.

If it still attempts to get in then I will try the bleach/citrus based cleaner idea.

OP posts:
Original poster
CarlaH · 12/05/2025 13:34

Unfortunately there is nowhere to hang the bin and I think the shape and weight of the bin might make it quite difficult anyway. It is obviously a very determined animal or animals.

We really aren't gardeners and don't have anywhere to have a compost bin and in all honesty I just don't want to.

I think we will try just putting veg and fruit waste into the bin and the rest into the general waste bin. 95% of our waste is comprised of fruit and veg peelings, cores etc or bread which has gone mouldy.

OP posts:
Abitofalark · 12/05/2025 13:33

We have foxes here wandering around every night. The brown food bins lock by closing the lid (it clicks into place if properly shut) and pulling the handle forward until it is hanging down the front of the bin. One night (about 2 am) I looked out of the window on hearing a noise, only to see a fox wrangling a neighbour's food bin. This neighbour usually puts it on top of the landfill bin. The tussle went on for quite a while, throwing it about the street and banging it on the ground but didn't succeed in opening it. Anyway, what about spraying some bleach around the bin so it blocks the smell of food and might deter the fox from trying to get into it?

madgreenlemons · 12/05/2025 13:20

Sorry to hear this. We are also plagued by foxes getting into food waste bins. And can no longer leave our doors and windows open on sunny days or ANYTHING out in the back garden as they just love to come and play with our stuff and inside our house. The local population here has been boosted by absolute weirdos feeding them. Having to get down on your hands and knees of an early morning so you can clear away the mess is truly awful. The only thing that works for us is a) keep the food waste caddy inside the wheelie bin all week and then put it out early on bin collection day b) once it is out, leaving a brick on top - our bin men have always still collected the waste when we’ve done this and c) if we’re going to be away on holiday and thus can’t micro manage the bin like normal we just put all the food waste in general waste. I’ve heard other people have had success with citrus spray too. Solidarity! Hope you beat the little blighters.

TheFieldOfStars · 12/05/2025 12:48

Can you hang the food caddy on something, by its handle? A hanging basket bracket, tree branch, fence post? That might keep it out of foxes' reach.

adviceonchildplease · 12/05/2025 12:46

wonder if you got a larger compost bin for your garden, and just tipped your food waste in there, and then use the compost if you needed for your garden/flowers? You then wouldn’t need to bother putting out your bin for the binmen at all.

or maybe you could sell/give away the compost to others if they needed?

mondaytosunday · 12/05/2025 12:44

i hand mine on my fence by the back hinge. My neighbours (who have a brick wall so no spikes) put theirs on top of their waste bins. We have tons of foxes but both these seem to work.

Original poster
CarlaH · 12/05/2025 12:41

alterego2 · 12/05/2025 12:30

If you have crates for other recycling (tin/glass etc) you could try putting your locked food caddy, on its side, in a crate. I've been doing this for a while now and - so far - none of our very canny foxes has managed to get the caddy out of the crate and open it. Don't know if they'll work out a system eventually tho ...

Sadly we did have recycling boxes from the old days before we were given wheelie bins for all our recycling but didn't think we would ever use them so they were taken away.

If we still had them we might have been able to put the food bin inside and it might have made life difficult for the fox.

As I said upthread unless the bin men can actually see it they won't take it so we can't put it in anything with a lid.

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Takeingmytime · 12/05/2025 12:35

We dont have food recycling in my area if we ever do i wont be doing it.
I saw it in my sisters area on bin day and the truck that collects went past i was almost sick.
just put it in the back bins.

alterego2 · 12/05/2025 12:30

If you have crates for other recycling (tin/glass etc) you could try putting your locked food caddy, on its side, in a crate. I've been doing this for a while now and - so far - none of our very canny foxes has managed to get the caddy out of the crate and open it. Don't know if they'll work out a system eventually tho ...