Few things are as grim as lifting the lid of your bin to find a writhing mass of maggots. The sight and smell can turn even the strongest stomachs. With warm summer temperatures providing perfect breeding conditions for flies, maggots are easier to come by than ever. A binman has stepped in with simple but effective advice on how to keep them at bay.
Government funding for food waste collections
In 2024, the Conservative Government announced £295m of funding for local authorities to introduce weekly food waste collections. The aim is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by diverting food waste from landfill to power plants that produce sustainable energy for homes and businesses. However, the introduction of the bins has attracted criticism from homeowners about odour and the attraction of creatures like flies, maggots, foxes and rats.
The 'binfluencer' shares his tips
The No1 Binman on TikTok, a self-styled 'binfluencer', regularly posts helpful content on correct waste disposal. He addresses questions from his thousands of followers, aiming to stop people from putting materials in the wrong bins, which can lead to bins being left uncollected.
He said: "If you've got some smelly food, it proper pongs, double bag it. Then once you have double bagged it, make sure you squeeze the air out of it and then make sure it's tight and put it in your bin."
His first tip: double bag smelly food and squeeze out air. Second: keep the bin out of direct sunlight. "When it starts cooking and heating up, it attracts more flies because of the smell of it, try and put in the shade - under a chair or anywhere you can." Third: keep the lid closed. "If the flies can't get in there, they can't lay the maggots to then be in the bin." Fourth: put food waste in the freezer until bin day. He added: "There is one more, if you want to get rid of some of them, you can put salt in your bin - It'll also stop the maggots."
Public reactions
Numerous people responded to the binman's video. One person said they would 'never' use the bin again after experiencing maggots in a heatwave. Another said their lid broke before a heatwave leading to a disgusting smell and maggots everywhere. A third recommended double bagging in heat and cleaning bins with bleach. A fourth said they put paper towel at the bottom with salt, which always works.
