# Brown Bin very very smelly - Advice appreciated!



## dubgem (14 Apr 2011)

The last time my brown bin got emptied it turned as smelly as a farmyard (for some reason - really, it smelled like a farmyard).  In fact you could smell the "farmyard" smell as soon as you walked in the front gate (we keep the bins in the - north facing - front garden).

I suspect I did wait too long to get it emptied (aka kept forgetting to put it out) and that has undoubtedly contributed to the problem.  Although I did wash it out as best I could it's not as if it's "like new", although it is at least safe to enter the front garden without a facemask now.

However I'm now afraid to put anything into it for fear of starting the problem again.  Does anybody have any advice?


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## Darthvadar (14 Apr 2011)

I wrap any cooked food items in newspapers before putting them in the bin. I find that these are the worst for stinking the bin out. Keep citrus fruit peelings. I put these loose into the bin, and they seem to prevent that dreadful smell. Meantime, I suggest washing out your bin with warm water and biological washing powder. That will get rid of the smell. Also, I have a six inch long 'sausage' shaped parcel of about a cupful of biological washing powder wrapped in tissue paper firmly taped to the inside of my bin lid. This combined with the orange, lemon, grapefruit, and lime peelings keeps the bin fresh. I change the 'sausage' of detergent twice a year, and it seems to help greatly. I remember to change it by doing it when the clocks change!. I'd forget otherwise.

Sorry I can't come up with any easier solutions. Hope this helps.

Darth.


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## elcato (14 Apr 2011)

Use paper bags for the rubbish initially. Paper bags are compostable. This will stop the flies as well.

Post crossed.


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## Leo (14 Apr 2011)

Get biodegrabable bin-liners.
Leo


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## horusd (14 Apr 2011)

I had a nice batch of lovely wriggly maggots last yr. Even tho I thought I wrapped everything they would like in layers of paper...ugh, disgusting. I washed it out with bleach and boiling water. Can you buy bio-degradable bags? I;ve not seen them in the Supermarket.


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## DrMoriarty (14 Apr 2011)

They're a shocking price in Tesco and Dunnes. I get them from an [broken link removed].


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## sustanon (14 Apr 2011)

clean your bin first, can you still get Jaye's Fluid?


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## horusd (14 Apr 2011)

Thanks DrM I'll have a look-see. I think there is still Jeyes fluid sustanon, but I prefer bleach.


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## demoivre (15 Apr 2011)

I sprinkle a light layer of freshly cut grass in the compost bin once a week during the summer and I find it reduces the smell and the flies.


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## Dublin3124 (15 Apr 2011)

Hi,

I wrap everything in newspaper first and then it gets put into compostable bags.  I got mine in Superquinn.


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## dubgem (15 Apr 2011)

Thank you all for the replies.  Will give it another scrub out with bleach this time (they're so hard to clean!  Have not been able to bribe a small child to climb in and and do the job so have been making do with a yard brush).  Then I think it will be compostable bin-bags all the way - I've already been wrapping stuff in newspaper, but it doesn't seem to be doing the job.   And I love the washing-powder sausage idea, will definitely have a go at that too.

Thanks again everybody


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## Tintagel (15 Apr 2011)

dubgem said:


> Have not been able to bribe a small child to climb in and and do the job


 
Here is a tip. Place bin on it's side on the ground. Then clean.


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## Darthvadar (15 Apr 2011)

Make sure the detergent's Bio. Works best for the smell!!!. 

By the way, placing the bin on it's side and blasting the inside with a hose will clean it well.

Hope this helps.

Darth.


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## AlbacoreA (15 Apr 2011)

Paper bags and Biodegradable food waste bags.


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## Petal (16 Apr 2011)

I find the biodegradable food waste bags biodegrade too quickly! And the flies get in again.... And had horrible maggots looking at me, too. I have since started putting waste food (in the degradable bags) into the freezer and only throw it into the bin the day before collection day.
For cleaning the bin I would recommend soda crystals. can be bought in dunnes in the aisle with the washing powders.


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## horusd (16 Apr 2011)

DrMoriarty said:


> They're a shocking price in Tesco and Dunnes. I get them from an [broken link removed].


 
 Hey DrM, tried to buy these bags on ebay, but got a message they sell only in UK. I emailed seller to see if they will deliver south of de border, down Dublin way, heard nuthin so far. Were you able to get em sent  South?


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## PolkaDot (27 Apr 2011)

Has anyone else managed to source compostable bin liners at a good price? If you buy in bulk anywhere is there savings to be made?

Cheers


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## Leo (27 Apr 2011)

If you're with Thorntons, they replace the bin liner every time they empty the brown bin.


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## DrMoriarty (27 Apr 2011)

horusd said:


> Hey DrM, tried to buy these bags on ebay, but got a message they sell only in UK. I emailed seller to see if they will deliver south of de border, down Dublin way, heard nuthin so far. Were you able to get em sent  South?


Sorry for the delay, horusd, only saw this now. Yes, at the time I emailed and asked if they would post them "down South" if I covered the extra cost. I think I asked him to quote me for something like 6 rolls of 30 bags and it worked out at £12.50 including the postage (so just under 8c a bag; less than half the retail price in Tesco/Dunnes). After he'd given me the go-ahead, I simply clicked on one of his "buy it now" auctions and then manually adjusted the price upwards at the payment page, adding an explanatory note.


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## horusd (28 Apr 2011)

No worries Dr M. I emailed the seller a week or so ago, and got no response. I'll do a search for someone who'll sell em in the south/to the south. The binbag business is obviously booming if ye can turn yer nose up at new orders!


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## Bronte (28 Apr 2011)

My main solution to this is that it's the other half's job to put the food in the bin   But all this washing powder stuff etc sounds like it's defeating the whole purpose of being ecological.  Nothing better than maggots unfortunately.  We have two bins for food waste and every so often put one of them down the back of the garden fully open after being emptied and let nature take it's course.


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## horusd (28 Apr 2011)

Bronte, I had the  minging &  skin-crawling sight of fly maggots en masse in my brown bin last yr. Never again.  If the meat waste is small,(ie mince) I'll wash it down the sink. Small pieces of meat, bread etc are given to the birds; starlings, gulls & magpies dispatch it pronto, but any leftovers are taken in to avoid rats or mice. All other waste goes to the compost bin.


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## Marion (28 Apr 2011)

Aldi are selling compostable caddy bin liners with tie tops (20) for €2.39.

Marion


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## PolkaDot (28 Apr 2011)

Cheers thanks. Will check it out


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## RonanC (28 Apr 2011)

This week in Aldi -  and only €1.99 !!


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## horusd (28 Apr 2011)

Marion said:


> Aldi are selling compostable caddy bin liners with tie tops (20) for €2.39.
> 
> Marion


 
Thanks Marion, they will do nicely.


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## horusd (3 May 2011)

Coz I happened to be in Supervalu yesterday, I picked up 10 (13 L) bags made in IRL by GreenSax. Got to the register and it was a whopping 3.29 or thereabouts. Mad price. So much for my attempts to buy Irish. Off to ALdi in the future.

PS: Just shot an email off to greensax.com complaining about the price difference and telling them the Adli price. Probably won't make a difference but at least they'll know the score. Price differential is approx 2.5 per bag, that's huge.


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## RonanC (3 May 2011)

The Aldi compostable bags are very small, only suitable for a kitchen caddy and they were in store as part of a weekly special.


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## horusd (4 May 2011)

RonanC said:


> The Aldi compostable bags are very small, only suitable for a kitchen caddy and they were in store as part of a weekly special.


 
Thanks Ronan. I went looking for em and they were sold out. I got a decent and informative reply from Greensax yesterday. Here's part of it:

_I agree that the cost difference is very very significant and it is perfectly understandable for you to purchase from Aldi instead._

_By the way, the 13L GreenSax are a little cheaper at €2.78 in Dunnes & Tesco, but it still does not bridge the gap enough for you. _

_*Unfortunately, we have no other way to get our products to the market other than through the large multiples and thus our products are subject to the exorbitant margins that they impose on them*. The Aldi products are at a much lower cost due to the lower margins they impose combined with the massive buying power that they have which drives down cost..._

_I appreciate your sentiments about buying Irish but not at any cost._

I replied asking them to consider direct online selling. It's informative that the retailer margins imposed seem to be the problem. if the margins imposed are such that they price Irish producers out of the market, that cannot be good news for Irish business and jobs.


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## envirogreen (5 Jun 2011)

Home composter at the bottom of the garden should do the trick


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