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Original poster

New food bins

239 replies

Toomanyuglyplasticbins · 07/05/2026 14:41

Will you be using the new food caddies & bins? Sick to death of my kitchen & garden resembling the local recycling centre. I do recycle most stuff & have regular trips to the tip; but even then one local authority varies from the next one in their recycling policies, so it all seems a bit.futile

OP posts:
RedRiverShore6 · 07/05/2026 21:32

We have had them for about 10 years, I ditched the council kitchen food bin and bought a Joseph Joseph one that screws to the inside of the under sink cupboard door.

Firefly1987 · 07/05/2026 21:31

I'm worried about ants tbh. Had them in a few weeks ago because I stupidly left food out near the back door. Just got rid of them to then try the new caddy and got them in again. Might just be the position of the bin by the door though. I will try again.

Are you supposed to put egg shells and tea bags in this new bin?

SpringLambton · 07/05/2026 21:30

No food caddies here. Not sure why.

We've recently received a full height bin per household for glass recycling. I thought that meant the glass recycling point in the local supermarket car park would be scaled back. But no, I counted at least a dozen big new skips there last week. Must be a big area for 🍾!

sanityisamyth · 07/05/2026 21:30

What new food bins?

Daisychainsandglitter · 07/05/2026 21:29

Absolutely not. Birmingham city council have not taken my recycling (cans, plastic and glass) in over a year so why they have sent us these food bins is beyond me.

MyCottageGarden · 07/05/2026 21:28

Doggymummar · 07/05/2026 16:44

I've tried using them twice. I even applied for a job emptying them before I knewhowgross they are. The first time was in the Summer and the kitchen filled with flies and the smell was horrendous, I never used I again and vomitted emptying it, we moved house and they have just instigated it here in March. I tried it and first time it was ok. Second time was Easter and they didn5 come empty it, house full of flies again. I put outside and it was emptied yesterday bu5 I'm not using it again. I shall go back to using the compost heAp in the garden.

just make sure you don’t put any meat or dairy scraps into your compost heap whatever you do!!! Only certain things can be composted, if you put anything else in, it will go very, very wrong!

Witchonenowbob · 07/05/2026 21:28

thinktoomuchtoooften · 07/05/2026 21:27

Agree 100%. I clean my tops and put out my rubbish more than once a day. That won’t change

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You are still allowed to do that….

Bokeitup · 07/05/2026 21:28

CasperGutman · 07/05/2026 20:50

Yuck! I don't doubt what you say is true, but I do find it surprising.

How would maggots underneath the bag get at the food? Was there a hole in the bag? Even then, flies would have to get in to lay eggs. Does your kitchen waste caddy have a well closing lid to keep them out?

Personally I didn't get on with the small kitchen caddy the council supplied. I use this small IKEA bin instead.
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/hallbar-bin-with-lid-light-grey-90432194/

The lid fits well and the small size means it needs emptying every couple of days for us. This generally means there's nothing too malodorous in there.

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I kept both caddies outside. I don't want food waste inside. (Prior to these new bins, I always put waste food outside immediately anyway). No tears in the bag and the bin was tightly closed. It was a couple of weeks ago when it was warm.

Witchonenowbob · 07/05/2026 21:27

sittingonabeach · 07/05/2026 21:02

I’m still struggling to see where all these extra pests are coming from, flies, ants, maggots, rats. The level of food waste is the same it’s just in a different bin

Exactly!!

thinktoomuchtoooften · 07/05/2026 21:27

MyCottageGarden · 07/05/2026 21:21

Absolutely not! They’re revolting. I’m not having rotting food festering on my kitchen counter! It’s going in the bin by the back door where it belongs!

Agree 100%. I clean my tops and put out my rubbish more than once a day. That won’t change

Clafoutie · 07/05/2026 21:26

Some people seem to be unaware that not everyone lives in a place where they can just pop outside to their bin. Not so easy for example if you live in a high flat with no outside space, and also less easy when you have a tiny kitchen. I’m not suggesting people shouldn’t use a caddy, but lots of people are saying “ it’s no bother, I just go outside” etc, which is considerably less easy for others.

Su1rlie · 07/05/2026 21:24

MyCottageGarden · 07/05/2026 21:21

Absolutely not! They’re revolting. I’m not having rotting food festering on my kitchen counter! It’s going in the bin by the back door where it belongs!

Blimey what on earth are you doing. It doesn’t rot. The caddy that lives in the kitchen is tiny. The bag is taken out far quicker than a black bin is emptied. Mine lives under the sink and I get it out to put choppings straight in. No rotting anything.

GinToBegin · 07/05/2026 21:23

Our council brought them in at the end of March. I can’t say I’m wild about having two new rubbish receptacles, but them’s the rules now. DP, on the other hand, is very enthusiastic; he was very impressed by the amount reported as having been collected and processed in week one and the fact that it all goes for energy production.

MyCottageGarden · 07/05/2026 21:21

Absolutely not! They’re revolting. I’m not having rotting food festering on my kitchen counter! It’s going in the bin by the back door where it belongs!

Su1rlie · 07/05/2026 21:19

thinktoomuchtoooften · 07/05/2026 21:17

If they want to go through my bin and dissect my well wrapped waste then they can crack on. I’ll also want them to be doing the same to my neighbours who chuck grass clippings etc in their bins to avoid the garden waste charge

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They will. Frankly just putting onion peelings into the caddy whilst I’m chopping which leaves my black bin cleaner is nothing and certainly not worth paying a fine.

thinktoomuchtoooften · 07/05/2026 21:17

Su1rlie · 07/05/2026 21:15

No it isn’t and it’s nothing. If your caddy isn’t filled they check your bins and fine you.

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If they want to go through my bin and dissect my well wrapped waste then they can crack on. I’ll also want them to be doing the same to my neighbours who chuck grass clippings etc in their bins to avoid the garden waste charge

OnTheBoardwalk · 07/05/2026 21:16

I’ve had maggots in my general waste bin which is why I now have a bin cleaner (another thread)

my general waste is emptied every 3 weeks. I think a guest put food waste in my kitchen bin or directly into my general waste bin without me realising

I love getting my kitchen waste collected every week

Su1rlie · 07/05/2026 21:15

thinktoomuchtoooften · 07/05/2026 21:14

Im not having another bin. I already pay for a garden waste bin, recycle the recyclable, compost the compostable. It’s enough.

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No it isn’t and it’s nothing. If your caddy isn’t filled they check your bins and fine you.

thinktoomuchtoooften · 07/05/2026 21:14

sittingonabeach · 07/05/2026 21:11

@thinktoomuchtoooften so why can’t you just put it into the food waste bin?

Im not having another bin. I already pay for a garden waste bin, recycle the recyclable, compost the compostable. It’s enough.

Su1rlie · 07/05/2026 21:12

thinktoomuchtoooften · 07/05/2026 21:10

The best thing for the environment would be to do away with the ridiculous amount of plastic packaging and food waste we all have in the first place.

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That is a slow process( remember the MN tantrums over the reduced mince packaging). Both are needed.

sittingonabeach · 07/05/2026 21:11

@thinktoomuchtoooften so why can’t you just put it into the food waste bin?

WimbyAce · 07/05/2026 21:10

We've had them for years also, small one in kitchen, large one in garden. Never had maggots or any issues.

Su1rlie · 07/05/2026 21:10

thinktoomuchtoooften · 07/05/2026 21:07

I don’t have a kitchen bin (mine always end up grotty) so I just put rubbish in the right wheelie bin after I’ve cooked, and add tea bags.

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I have a double freestanding bin in my kitchen. Black bin one side, recycling the other and the pretty green Ikea caddy under my sink for food scraps. It’s soooo easy and we end up with hardly anything in the black bin.

thinktoomuchtoooften · 07/05/2026 21:10

Su1rlie · 07/05/2026 21:05

You will be fined.

It’s about doing the best thing for the environment. Composting food is good for the environment because it reduces landfill waste—preventing the release of harmful methane gas—and converts waste into nutrient-rich soil fertilizer. It boosts biodiversity, reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, and helps soil retain water, supporting healthier ecosystems and combating climate change

The planet is burning, you simply have to separate your waste. It’s the easiest thing in the world. Our council has been doing it for years.

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The best thing for the environment would be to do away with the ridiculous amount of plastic packaging and food waste we all have in the first place.

thinktoomuchtoooften · 07/05/2026 21:07

SilenceInside · 07/05/2026 21:03

@thinktoomuchtoooften what do you do with food waste currently if it isn't in your kitchen bin? That's where any food waste that wasn't compostable went for us before we had the food waste collection, and the general waste was only collected fortnightly. The new food waste is collected weekly, and we have an outside food waste bin, so when the small kitchen bin is full I just put it in the outside bin. Nothing's languishing in the kitchen any more than it was before, in fact less so.

Most of the food waste we generate is not wasted food, it's remains of things from cooking like egg shells, solid fat from cooking meat, peelings, teabags, coffee grounds, and so on.

I don’t have a kitchen bin (mine always end up grotty) so I just put rubbish in the right wheelie bin after I’ve cooked, and add tea bags.