General Chat

We now have to put all our food waste into a caddy lined with a compostable bag, the first few have been provided by them the local council, after that we have to buy the bl..dy bags. I see know improvement the local area, in fact it is worse because they don't pick up street litter nor cut the grass on verges, as a result more rats.
Thanks for letting me rant.

Do you have to use bags?

We've had a food bin for years, but I rarely use it.

When I do have something to put in there, eg. bones, I just wrap them in newspaper or other biodegradable bag, such as the paper bags which medications come in from the chemist.

We have always had to put our food waste into a caddy with compostible bags and the council have supplied them and show no sign of stopping.

My son has to put his food waste into a caddy and is supposed to buy his own bags, but he uses old newspapers instead (which are compostible) and so far the council hasn't complained. We always give him a couple of rolls of bags when we visit!

Perhaps you could try the same, ZZzzz, if you have old newspapers.

Our Council supply the bags for our caddy, but you can use newspaper instead.

Rant away. It is frustrating to be told that you've got to do something and you've got to pay. However, you're lucky your councils all collect food waste. Ours doesn't nor are we allowed to put veg peelings in with garden waste. Our council also won't collect glass from the house. We have to take it to a bottle bank which is fine if you have one nearby or have transport to get to one but what are you supposed to do if you can't easily access a bottle bank?

We have queried the food waste thing with the company the council contract out to and were told it was not economical to collect it.

This is the council whose dustmen (sorry Refuse Collectors!) left a note for us and our next door neighbours complaining that there was too much dust in our dustbins!

Too much dust Vera ? :-0 :-S

Glass is so heavy to transport if you have no access to a car.
I know Winchester used to have that restriction too.
Our glass goes in our recycling wheelie bin with cans, tins, plastic bottles and tinfoil.
Card and paper are collected in a separate box.

I don't understand how food collection can be deemed to be economic in one area, but not another.
We have a compost bin in the garden for eg. outer tough leaves of cabbage, but we have very little food waste, as we prepare what we know we will eat.
I tend to scrub veg. with a special scourer rather than peel or scrape them, so day by day there is very little to put in the food bin or to compost.

Too much dust Vera? :-0 Was it the 'wrong sort' of dust? LOL

I just chuck food waste and tea bags in the garden waste bin, it's not a problem here. We used to put food scraps in our own compost bin (not tea bags!) but things have been a bit awry this year. All the stuff in the garden waste bin is composted anyway isn't it?
Perhaps some binmen have sensitive little noses?
Ours costs 40 quid a year so I want my monies worth.

When our council starting charging for garden bins you were still able to use it for the kiitchen waste. Friends of ours had neighbours that just tipped the waste in so in the summer it was really stinky and crawling with bugs and flies. Horrible.

I just keep the lid shut names :-D
It's not that bad, it's only veg so no different to a home compost bin. I think it must be animal scraps that are really stinky as they rot away and attract flies.

Apparently we can't put news paper in it I suppose they mean the newspaper used to wrap the food in.

We have had a small caddy for food waste for years. I think it is great we used to have to use special bags that we bought. However since last year we have been able to use any bags (even bread bags because the waste is treated in a special way that also deals with the bags. Ours doesn't go for compost, it is used to 'create' some sort of energy (fuel) not sure if electricity or gas. We are not allowed to put food waste in the garden waste bin. Where daughter lives and where we were in Cornwall food waste still goes in with normal waste. Our ordinary waste bins don't smell, no food waste!

I think the problem with the infested bin was that it never got washed out.

We are not allowed to put paper in with our food waste bags.

I don't understand why we can't wrap the food waste in newspaper. I am really tempted to do just that.

What does it say on your council recycling page?
May be it says what bags / paper you can use or there might be an e mail address where you can contact them.

We can put anything and everything in our general waste bins.

People like me have very little to put in apart from garden waste because I recycle everything I can, but people who can't be bothered to recycle just tip everything into the general waste bin. Some of them must have a problem because the bins are only emptied every three weeks!!

We can 'purchase' yearly, a garden waste bin - £39 for a small one, and £59 for a large one, then we have to pay £10 a year for the licence! :-S

I haven't got one - but my neighbour has got a small one. As I take the bins out (hers & mine - she brings them in), I check how much stuff is in her garden waste bin, and fill it up for her :-D

I've actually just purchased a small compost bin - I left the one I had, when I moved, so peelings etc will go in there, rather than the main waste bin (they're not allowed in the garden bin) - but I will still fill up my neighbours bin with weeds etc.

We have plastic bowl things for glass, Unfortunately, as I live mid-terrace, the quickest way to get it out is through the house, and if it's been raining, (I leave it outside), water leaks everywhere, so I'm afraid some glass goes in the main bin.

Food waste bins sound disgusting! I bet they're only emptied every 2 weeks or so.

Our food waste bins are emptied weekly.

Andysmum ours will be too, allegedly they will no doubt find a way to change it to fortnightly.

I wonder what happens if you have a 'food waste' caddy, and never put it out?

I was just thinking what would go in mine.
Now Betty the cat is dead, I have no bowls of 'turned nose up at' cat food to throw away.
I tend to just cook what I can eat, so I rarely throw cooked food out.
Peelings will go on my compost heap - as will old bread and eggshells.

That leaves tea bags - loads of those - I won't put them on the compost, as I don't use PG tips 'paper' tea bags, and others may contain plastic, and avocado seeds!

Just looked at the leaflet that came with the caddy and among other things it says not to put anything in there that is not food waste so I guess that means we have to use bags that we have to pay for and are biodegradable.