Genuine question, if you don’t use a food waste bin

[BarbarAnna]

Why not?

Accepting that some people may not have a garden or room

But if you live in a house with a driveway and a garden, and your council provides food waste collections, why wouldn’t you utilise this?

I am genuinely interested to know.

Not for the first time, my dim witted dog has eaten food which has been ripped out of a bin bag by presumably cats, rats, birds or foxes.

I just don’t get why you wouldn’t use the facility if it is there.

I don't understand either OP. Lots of posts on here saying they find it grim, or the bin is dirty... there food waste festering in your kitchen bin too if you put everything in there, what's the difference? And use a biodegradable liner to keep the food caddy clean obviously, and rinse it every now and then. Unless you compost or eat only processed/prepared food I don't see how you can have no food waste - egg shells, banana skins, tea bags, coffee grounds, apple cores, pepper seeds, garlic peel, onion skins, orange peel, odd veg ends etc. All adds up. We fill ours constantly. It's a separate smaller bin van that picks them up. Think we are one of the only people in our street to use it though.

The more I think about it the more I don't understand the it's 'dirty' argument. Surelt food is rotting in a bin either way? I'd like to understand what people mean if anyone can explain...

I've had 3 caddies and they have all disappeared on bin day. I only have the small caddy as I don't have a garden so no big bin. I cannot be arsed to order a new one every few weeks, surely the plastic waste I'm creating outweighs the recycling element.

my council don't have that facility which is strange as they do a garden waste bin which I believe goes into making compost but you can't use it for food waste.

My council charges extra for separate food waste, and I hardly have any meat/fish waste anyway.

Veg peelings go on the compost heap

We compost.

You do know how ridiculous you sound? As if my food waste could save the planet.
Yours, no, but 66 million people's in the UK would help.

We've had really good food waste collection for a few years now. The council provide biodegradable bags for a small counter-top (or you can put it in a cupboard) caddy. We knot the bags and put them into the green bin along with garden waste. Easy and pong-free.

Ours is collected weekly. Main bin fortnightly. So there's more chance of maggots and bin juice if you don't use it. I use an empty egg carton at the bottom of a compost bag to soak up liquid. It doesn't smell any more than if you chuck food waste in your kitchen bin. I empty the small bin into the outdoor caddy once or twice a week. In really hot weather I put it in a sealed container in the freezer and take it out the night before collection - making sure it's clearly labelled so no one eats it!
I have one of these:
Brabantia Sort and Go Food Waste Caddy, Plastic, 6 L - Mint Green https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01E5ZPVYU/ref=cmswwrcppapiii_-W-sEbX9G2VZJ

I have the same caddy @H0llie

Interesting responses. I find it a bit depressing that a) so many councils don’t offer it and b) where councils do offer it, people can’t be arsed making a small adjustment to their habits for the good of the planet.

I have stopped recently as have HG and just can’t stomach doing it so I just throw everything in the normal bin and forget it I’ll go back to it when I’m better

I don't understand the smell comments - a caddy wont smell as long as you keep the lid closed and wash it every now and then. I put mine in the dishwasher.

When I used to put food waste in the main bin, it would stink the kitchen out unless I emptied the bin every day or two.

I’ve never had maggots or any other problem with the food waste bin or kitchen caddy, though ours is 99.9% fruit and veg peelings, eggshells, etc. Actual waste is practically zero. Don’t have a compost bin, garden is very small.
If I do have any scraps of meat or fish, e.g. after boiling up a chicken carcass for stock, it goes in the freezer until the night before the bin men come.
If we’re going to be away when bin men are due, it all goes (bagged) in the freezer likewise. QED.

Our council doesn't offer this service. These days with all the other recycling options our standard waste bin is almost empty compared to a few years ago.

My friend does have this facility. She freezes the waste before putting it in the caddy on collection day as she didn't want issues with maggots etc or foxes. I doubt I'd have room in my freezer, its always rammed.

We have found that putting food in the normal bin (as we can't use our hot bin for cooked food right now) smells WAY more than putting it in the caddy to go out to the hot bin.
So I'm really puzzled why people think it's more smelly.

@H0llie great idea re the egg box! I think I'll line my outside caddy with one next time I clean it out. I bung my kitchen caddy in the dishwasher but the outdoor one is too big for that, sadly!

I live in a flat with communal bins, we only have bins for general waste, paper, plastic bottles, tin & glass. To be honest it is too much messing around separating rubbish & trecking to where the bins are sited with all the rubbish in separate collections, especially as I am disabled & have mobility problems.

No food waste collection here, but we also have a rat issue (we live in arse end of nowhere) so we had to get rid of the compost heap as we had rats attacking our hens.

Because our council doesn't collect food waste and we have nowhere else to put it.

The council by us used to have a slop bucket, but I never met anyone who used it.
They have stopped this now.
There was a small bucket to place on the draining board and I think this put people off the idea.

The council here don't offer it.

Our council doesn't offer it. We compost vegetable waste though.

I don't understand how you all get maggots so quickly?
Or why so many people don't compost there own waste that is compostable if they have a garden.

Here:
Small compost caddy in kitchen, gets emptied into compost bin in garden. All peelings, veggies stalks, egg shells, tea leaves, coffee grinds. Its probably 95% of any food items thrown. If you live in a flat, or no space to compost, you can get a 'food compost bin' collected weekly for free.

Remaining odd thing like stale piece bread, cheese rind etc goes in bag in house with 'remaining household stuff', then that bag into main bin outside. Anything like fish remains or chicken bones would be wrapped first, then into the bag above, before in main bin. so effectively double bagged. No maggots.

'main' Bin is collected once per month, usually 1/4 full. We get charged per kg for its disposal, so the heavier it is, more you pay.
Glass, and metal we have to take to local recycling points, paper and plastic collected every 6 weeks for free. You are fined heavily if any glass/metal/paper/plastic is in the 'main' bin.

It works fine tbh. I think having fewer collections and charging people does work as people do then recycle, compost or use the food waste bins provided.

Would people who don't compost or used food bins use one if they saw their bin collection costs increase dramatically?

In hot weather fly and bluebottle eggs can hatch in as little as seven days (and I’ve found it can be even quicker) so it’s very easy to get an infestation in bins between weekly or fortnightly collections when the weather is warm. It’s not a problem in winter.

Dogs
Chickens
Compost
Waste disposal.

I’m sure double wrapped food waste in any bin is teeming with maggots and flies long before a monthly summer collection but the double wrapping conceals and contains the problem.