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See all MNHQ comments on this thread

A 'slop bucket' in every kitchen

121 replies

TheDullWitch · 24/05/2007 16:33

Government wants us to collect food scraps in special bins and then the swill will be taken away to create fuel.

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1813805.ece

Which is all very well and green. But EEEW! Does anyone's council already do this? Is it stinky?

OP posts:
tarantula · 24/05/2007 16:52

Cant see what the problem is tbh. Been doing htsi or years at home and would be quite happy to do it again. But then I'm not the squemish sort. I know dp wouldnt have a problem with it either so cant see it being womens work in our house. Mind you he does most of the 'womens work' anyway.

Can see how flats could have problems with this esp older flats and ones that are not purpose built tho.

expatinscotland · 24/05/2007 16:52

Exactly, Jools, but big business is left to do and package as it pleases.

Always hammer the little guy, the government.

tortoiseSHELL · 24/05/2007 16:54

It's fine. We have a little brown bin (it's really not big, probably 6 or 7 inches high, 5x4 inches or so? Anyway, all food waste goes in there, and then we have a brown food bin (lockable with the handle so animals can't get at it), you empty the little bin into it, and this is collected once a week, along with cardboard. Black box for paper, foil, glass, cans, clothes, batteries etc! Then we take plastic bottles etc to Waitrose every so often and put them in the bins there. There is a green bin option for garden waste, but we compost that, so don't use that. The black wheelie bin for everything else is collected fortnightly.

Really don't see why this is SO unpopular - once you get into it, it seems natural, and seems really weird puting recyclable stuff into the bin. The only down side of the brown bin last year was that there were fruit flies in the kitchen, so am going for a policy of only opening the big brown bin away from the door, and bleaching the little bin every time it looks like it needs it.

I understand that food waste didn't use to be such a problem as many more people kept animals like chickens and domestic pigs who could eat the food waste. We're getting some chickens in a few weeks!

expatinscotland · 24/05/2007 16:55

Like I said, I'd be fine with this but for living in a pokey flat with no outdoor space and bins located on a busy road a ways away.

TheDullWitch · 24/05/2007 16:56

TortoiseShell > which local authority do you live in?

OP posts:
TheDullWitch · 24/05/2007 16:57

Apparently you can't feed food waste to pigs any more (DEFRA regulations).

OP posts:
JoolsToo · 24/05/2007 16:58

yes 'a little brown bin'

then there's the blue can and glass box
and the blue paper box
and the green garden waste bin
and the grey other crap bin
and the blue plastic bin

line upon line of them

we should just live in them

casbie · 24/05/2007 16:58

you can always strip the excess packaging off the food and leave it at the counter.

i don't want to live next to a landfill-site, so i'm quite happy to recycle and compost.

btw i have three children under 6, and only one black dustbin full a fortnight!

Ladymuck · 24/05/2007 16:59

We've just started a trial last week. As far as I can see you can't use newspaper. We have the little caddy, which you line with starch liners (presumably will decompose at same rate as food), and yes you can put all food into it. There is also a brown bin to put the start liners into when full which get collected weekly.

Have to say that so far, no, it isn't stinky at all. If anything the opposite as I have one of those huge, takes a black bin bag size Brabantia kitchen bins. So now I have two: the food one which gets emptied daily, and the larger one which seems to be mainly to disposing non-recyclable packaging (we already sort glass, tin, recyclable plastics, paper and cardboard). Previously I probably got through 2-3 black bags a week, so I guess the food was hanging around in the bin for longer.

It does mean that you notice exactly how much food does get wasted!

NoodleStroodle · 24/05/2007 16:59

We have a little bin for the kitchen waste and then a larger slops bin that you can decant it into so your kitchen does not smell. Had this system for 3 years now and never a smell problem. Recycle all paper, glass, cans, cardboard and only throw away plastic which our council will not recycle. We're a family of 4 and probably put out less than one black bag a week.....however....I can see that if you are in a flat etc it's asking a bit much to keep smeggy food in your kitchen for a week or so.

tortoiseSHELL · 24/05/2007 16:59

In Bristol. I do think the recycling is working well. There's a little bit of an overhead, but it's ok. And we only have the brown bin, the black box and the wheelie bin, because we have a compost heap, otherwise you can either have a green bin, or buy green bags which they will take away.

I'm all for it!

Califrau · 24/05/2007 17:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Dogsby · 24/05/2007 17:01

my inlaws do it ad haev for years - the slops
also cut up cereal boxes to then use the card as paper for hsoppign lists and notes etc

mum used to wash out plastic bags( htis was in the 70s) as we wre poor tbha dn hse was frugal yorkshireowman

what else did we do???
oh mend socks!

Blandmum · 24/05/2007 17:02

To be fair we have three big wheelie bins.

One for Rubbish, one for recycalables, and one for garden waste/food scraps for composting.

It works exceptionally well.

They collect every other week.

Can see it would be a prob if you didn't have thse bins though

JoolsToo · 24/05/2007 17:02

good job we don't have a bin for unsolicited mail it wouldn't be able to cope

maybe the gov should stop businesses posting their crap through our letter boxes

Dogsby · 24/05/2007 17:02

she woudl dry the placcy basg( freexer ones) ont eh line

peopel reuse foil too dont htey

NoodleStroodle · 24/05/2007 17:03

Dogsby - my mum did that too!

tortoiseSHELL · 24/05/2007 17:03

foil is collected for recycling.

Dogsby · 24/05/2007 17:04

yes
ihtink we haev lost the art of make do and mend

< gets out of anderson shelter>

oi dully did oyu see the marr prog this week on post war britain? apprently we wer close to famin in 1947

am laso readin "nevr had it so good" www.amazon.co.uk/Never-Had-So-Good-History/dp/0316860832/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/203-1293981-1419128?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180022663&sr=8-1

which is most enlighterning

JoolsToo · 24/05/2007 17:05

I re-use foil and reuse sandwich bags.
Old vests for dusters and dishclothes (that was years ago I;ve stopped wearing vests .

I'm very frugal but I'll be damned if I'm going to start separating my slops!

OrmIrian · 24/05/2007 17:05

We do it already too. It's called a compost bin . And it doesn't stink. I don't put meat or processed food waste into it as that might get smelly but when we move to fortnightly refuse collection all that stuff will get picked up once a week in a sealed brown box - this already happens in other areas round here and as long as it isn't overfilled and properly closed it's fine.

There isn't much choice anyway - things can't go on as they are.

Dogsby · 24/05/2007 17:05

i htink festival of briatin era is becomign sexy
its the new WW1

JoolsToo · 24/05/2007 17:05

I lived it doggy

Kathyis6incheshigh · 24/05/2007 17:06

Cod I was wondering the other day if I could reuse freezer bags - I get through so many it is starting to annoy me
Am living in Yorkshire now so that must be why.

JoolsToo · 24/05/2007 17:06

the 60's not WWI

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