Ten top tips for a beautiful food waste bin

Helen Dunk

16 September 2011

Since we moved to an area that provides food waste collections, using what some ladies and gentlemen of the press call a 'slop bucket' has become part of our daily routine.

I can't imagine throwing out all those scraps now - and research we've just done shows most of you out there think it's best to recycle rather than bin leftover food.

But it hasn't all been plain-sailing. Being something of a neat freak, having a small compost heap in my kitchen took some getting used to. So I thought I'd share ten top tips I've picked up about how to reduce the gunk-factor, banish nasty whiffs and stop fruit flies from coming over all Barry White amongst your veg peelings and tea bags:

1. Squeeze tea bags and leave them and coffee grinds to cool off before putting them in the caddy so it doesn't get all hot and steamy, which will create extra water... and encourage those frisky fruit flies.

2. Line the bottom of the caddy with stale bread, food-soiled paper or old news paper to absorb excess moisture and avoid mouldy stuff getting stuck in the corners.

3. Put stinky scraps like meat, fish or bones into a biodegradable food waste bag, wrap them in newspaper or empty them straight into the main food waste bin outside.

4. You don't have to use the standard plastic council caddy if it doesn't do much for your kitchen décor. Get creative - look into vintage crockery or other watertight containers with lids that could hold a week's worth of peelings in style. You could also splash out on a custom-designed ceramic kitchen compost crock or shiny pail.

5. Keep the lid tightly closed. This stops fruit flies and other winged friends from getting in to lay eggs, and odours from getting out.

6. Store your caddy out of direct sunlight, as the heat can speed up smells.

7. Rinse out your bucket once a week with hot water containing a slug of tea tree oil or lemon juice to kill germs and freshen it up, then leave to dry.

8. Eat more of your food! If you're feeling organized, write a weekly menu plan and take a list when you go shopping so you only buy what you need. Raid recipe books to stop stuff going to waste - mushy bananas make a stonking banana loaf and Sunday roasts make great stews, pies and stock. Get some inspiration for making roasts go further here.

9. If you have a garden, you could use Bokashi bran and bin to produce quality compost for your plants. These chaps seem to know more about it. 

10. Even if you don't use Bokashi, food scraps make a great addition to any garden compost heap - just make sure you don't include meat or fish or you may attract rodents. Use a fork or spade to break up the compost as it matures and mix in with garden clippings, leaves and other types of organic waste for the best results. Garden Organic has more top tips.

Helen Dunk, Communications and Media Team