Hi, wonder if anyone can help me?
We've recently been given green wheelie bins by the council to collect all our garden and kitchen waste (including meat but definitely NO plastic bags) for recycling in a bio-digester.
Obviously it's a good idea but I hate the idea of tipping loose waste straight into the bin. Wrapping stuff in newspaper won't stop damp or pongs for long. Who's going to hold my feet while I clean out the cavernous insides :o??
I've made enquiries about degradable cornstarch bin bags (which ARE allowed) and so far have been given conflicting information about how long they last in use. One supplier says they don't degrade until subjected to high temperatures and another says they start to degrade as soon as waste is put into them, but should last "at least a week" in the kitchen. Not much use for fortnightly collections!
Has anyone actually tried these things? I'd love to know before ordering any.
Regards and thanks,
Chrissie
We were promised a bin but I've asked where mine is and told won't get one til 2006 :( Mind you I have so many compost bins I don't really need one from the council as I need all my compost for me :)
As for cleaning it I let a little man with a van do my dustbin . He follows the collectors and then he hoses the bin out. 50p a time. Bargain :)
Interesting about the bags. Me I'd just chuck the garden waste in and keep the food scraps (but not the meat) for the compost bin. I think if you include meat that's where you're going to get a stink so maybe don't compost it. You can always give meat bits to the birds (or get a dog :)) I'm surprised your council is letting you put kitchen scraps in as most don;t seem to because of "current legislation" . My bro has one of these bins and he only can put garden compost in. Anyway happy composting. Be warned - it's addictive ;D
Your compost doesn't really stink at all if you don't put meat or cheese etc in it and if you keep a good mix of stuff it shouldn't be a problem at all.
Quote50p a time
~now that's a bargain
a neighbour in my street does this but she charges £3.50 :o :o
I don't blame her ;D
Thanks all - yes I intend to have a proper compost heap when I get my full-sized lotty plot (any day now...) so that part won't be a problem.
Our council has invested in this whizzo new "bio-digester" which apparently deals with all organic waste (even bones) and turns it into field dressings etc. for local farmers (not for us private gardeners I notice... >:() so that's why our sorting instructions are different from most people's. When I asked the council official who accompanied the first collection last week he suggested paying someone else to wash out the bin. Yuck, what a job. I just thought I'd rather not have a sticky smelly bin in the first place thanks very much!
So...if anyone has tried these bio-bags I'd love to hear whether they're any good. They're 9p each for the 30-litre size so would probably still be a bargain over a fortnight even compared to a 50p wash. Only snag is you have to buy a minimum of 500.
Cheers,
Chrissie
alternatively, how about freezing the meat and dairy scraps and putting them out on collection day? That'll keep the animals from getting it.
(Just moaning because the foxes keep using my garden as a larder. It's not from my bin - we're veggie!)
Aqui You clever thing ;D
Chrissie You don't have much choice but to buy the bags if you don't want the bin to smell or get dirty., Just a thought though. The carriers from the supermarket are biodegradable. Would the council let you use those?
Wardy - that's a great idea but apparently the bags have to say OK-Compost and conform to British Standard something or other, and I don't think the supermarket bags do. Takes them too long to break down or something. D'oh.
Aquilegia - very clever idea indeed! I'll just have to make sure we don't forget what they are and make a stew out of them... ;)
i pinched a roll of bio bags while working at the glastonbury festival (they were leftover, honest!).
they were a bit of a nightmare, dissolving when damp.
damp naturally seeps to the bottom which invariably splits as you pull on the dry top edge, spilling gunk all over your shoes. (Not nice)
tried using them to transport cuttings etc to lottie. they still tended to split but the tops have still not rotted down after three months.
i'll not be using them again!
Tara xx
Eek thanks for letting me know your experience Tara - that's definitely put me off the idea. I wouldn't mind if I could buy just one roll to try out before committing to a large order.
Looks like I'll have to think again - what would I do without the collective wisdom of this forum??
Thanks everyone :-*
Chrissy  Why don't you ask for some free samples? I'm sure they'd be pleased to do this. Most companies are :) If you're too polite, I'm not and I can ask them for you. In fact, I will ;D I'll get back to you ............ ;D
Right! I asked two companies. Let's see what turns up,if anything :)
Fantastic Wardy, thanks.