maggots and food recycling bins

[wildpoppy]

We have a newish system locally where you have a recycling collection each week and a non recycling collection fortnightly and also a food recycling bin each week. The food recycling system has a small bin with liners you keep in the kitchen which you then empty into a bigger outside bin which is collected.

This morning I went to open our kitchen food recycling bin to put in the outside bin and it was full of maggot writhing and hatching - bleurgh. I have now disinfected it with bleach and boiling water but how can I stop this happening again - is it just the hot weather or is it because fruit goes in it or is it going to happen all the time. Adding a daily emptying of the food recycling bin to our chores does not fill me with joy plus the biodegradable bags that go in it are expensive.

Any tips?

Have you tried wrapping the waste in newspaper?

Does the recycling bin have a close fitting lid? , if not could you weight it down as well as the other suggestions? If the flies can't get in they can't leave eggs in there.

Bin Buddy. A very pungent smelling powder that you sprinkle in periodically. Safe to use in food bins and deters flies, etc. Waitrose and Ocado stock it. I recommend!

Bin Buddy is amazing!!

I've been recycling food waste with paper liners in the caddy for 3 years and never had maggots. I sell the paper liners to local residents as a small business and never had any mention of them from customers either.

Agree that keeping the lid tightly closed probably helps. We do get some ants in the wheelie occasionally and the odd fruit fly, but never had anything that grim!

It can only get maggots in it if flies are able to lay their eggs on something attractive to them. So either the flies are getting in to the food once it's been put in the bin, or the flies are getting onto your food while it's still on the plates. Have you had a barbecue with lots of food sitting around outside, for example? Or pet food lying out on a dish?