Ongoing Calgarians throwing things into the wrong bins thread

[Yellefan]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

Do:

put food waste in bin

Don't:

Eat the food in the bin.

I respectfully disagree with your don't. My 2 year old son regularly eats food out of the green bin under the sink and he has not had any issues. It's usually what was on his plate for lunch or snack that he refused to eat because it's on a plate.

[Erick Estrada]

One nice thing about the weather cooling off is that my circle doesn't smell as ripe with people leaving their green bins in their front yards near their garages. A few week ago the neighborhood smelled like hot garbage.

[psyang]

I thought that moving to black bin pickup every other week would be an issue, but sure enough our black bin hasn't been more than half full on pickup day.

One thing we do to keep smells down is to keep a compostable bag in a ziploc plastic container in the freezer. We put mainly protein scraps (fish, chicken, beef) there as they tend to smell the worst. When we put our green bin out the night before, we just add the frozen bag to the mix. Only issue is it means we use up an extra compostable bag per week, but totally worth it.

[You Need a Thneed]

We have just been taking smelly meat stuff directly out to the large green bin, instead of temporarily going to the small grey bin.

Uprooted our Zucchini plants yesterday, green bin is now packed full.

[dubc80]

For those into recycling, ECCO and the Shepard Waste Management Facility are participating in Doors Open YYC this coming weekend.

Might be cool to check out if you're curious what happens after the bin is picked up.


ECCO (recycling items):
http://www.doorsopenyyc.org/business...y-corporation/


Shepard (compost items):
http://www.doorsopenyyc.org/business...ment-facility/

[Incogneto]

Originally Posted by troutman

We had a problem with fruit flies.

I keep the bin outside by the gate now.

You can catch fruit flies in a little bowl with cider vinegar - put plastic wrap over bowl, and poke little holes in the wrap with a toothpick.

Cover food waste in the bin with yard clippings to hinder the flies.

The best composting tip I can give is this: Use one of these for your inside bin:


No bad smell, no flies. When its full, take it outside, and dump it in the green bin. It's the best compost bin I have had.

[redforever]

Why are so many having problems with their green bins smelling so much?

Most everything in green bins was in black bins before not?

Did you have the same problem with your black bins?

I notice no difference.

[shermanator]

This homeowner has this all wrong. You have to use the blue bin, IDIOT!

[troutman]

I observed my neighbor from across the street taking his dog to crap behind my garage, and putting the turds in my black bin. Why not use your own alley and bin? So rude.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by redforever

Why are so many having problems with their green bins smelling so much?

Most everything in green bins was in black bins before not?

Did you have the same problem with your black bins?

I notice no difference.

Not so much the smell but so far we are having the most trouble with grass clippings. They seem to clump into wet bunches and then stick to the bottom of the bin so they don't empty. Gets messy after awhile. Caveat is we don't use those paper bags to put the grass in as you would go large numbers of them, we were hoping to just dump clippings directly into the bin.

Everythign else seems okay so far.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by troutman

I observed my neighbor from across the street taking his dog to crap behind my garage, and putting the turds in my black bin. Why not use your own alley and bin? So rude.

Whats the Etiquette on that? I mean, its just a black bin.

When I walk my dog I pick up after him and wait until I either pass a public garbage bin or get home to my own, unless its the day before pickup and everyone has their bins on the street then I just put it in the nearest one. Its not going to be in there long and they're on the street.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Not so much the smell but so far we are having the most trouble with grass clippings. They seem to clump into wet bunches and then stick to the bottom of the bin so they don't empty. Gets messy after awhile. Caveat is we don't use those paper bags to put the grass in as you would go large numbers of them, we were hoping to just dump clippings directly into the bin.

Everythign else seems okay so far.

If you mow your lawn frequently enough why not just leave the clippings on the lawn?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Locke

Whats the Etiquette on that? I mean, its just a black bin.

When I walk my dog I pick up after him and wait until I either pass a public garbage bin or get home to my own, unless its the day before pickup and everyone has their bins on the street then I just put it in the nearest one. Its not going to be in there long and they're on the street.

I agree. I use the compostable bags and throw them in a green bin if one is handy. I know that I wouldn't care if someone did that as they were walking by mine, and really what's the difference?

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Slava

I agree. I use the compostable bags and throw them in a green bin if one is handy. I know that I wouldn't care if someone did that as they were walking by mine, and really what's the difference?

I live on a corner lot near a dog park. My bins get plenty of dog turds each week, and it stinks. My neighbor could use his own bin, but he doesn't because it stinks.

[DoubleF]

Do any of you use compost able bags in the green bin to keep stuff from sticking to the bottom?

I was looking at these and wondering if they'd work in the green bin:

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00...A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB


I was also looking at these for the little compost bucket indoors and emptying the little bags more often, rather than waiting till they're full/stinky.

https://www.amazon.ca/EcoSafe-6400-H...mpostable+bags

Originally Posted by redforever

Why are so many having problems with their green bins smelling so much?

Most everything in green bins was in black bins before not?

Did you have the same problem with your black bins?

I notice no difference.

I think it's because the smelly stuff is now in concentrated amounts. Previously the garbage bags filled up faster and thus left the home faster. Now, due to separation, it fills up slower. Furthermore, the smelly stuff is all in the green bin vs being combined with non-smelling trash in the black bin.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

If you mow your lawn frequently enough why not just leave the clippings on the lawn?

Yeah, seems crazy to spend money to turn water and fertilizer into grass, cut it and throw it away.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by redforever

Why are so many having problems with their green bins smelling so much?

Most everything in green bins was in black bins before not?

Did you have the same problem with your black bins?

I notice no difference.

I don't know why some people are having smelly bins as I'm not going to launch an investigation but I notice the difference. That said it hasn't been nearly as bad over the last week as I expect the hot weather had something to do with it.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Do any of you use compost able bags in the green bin to keep stuff from sticking to the bottom?

I was looking at these and wondering if they'd work in the green bin:

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00...A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB


I was also looking at these for the little compost bucket indoors and emptying the little bags more often, rather than waiting till they're full/stinky.

https://www.amazon.ca/EcoSafe-6400-H...mpostable+bags




I think it's because the smelly stuff is now in concentrated amounts. Previously the garbage bags filled up faster and thus left the home faster. Now, due to separation, it fills up slower. Furthermore, the smelly stuff is all in the green bin vs being combined with non-smelling trash in the black bin.

People aren't using compost bags? Weird. I just picked up the ones that fit the kitchen bucket they gave us, I haven't had an issue with flies/stink/stuff sticking to the green bin.

I fill up the kitchen bucket frequent enough that it doesn't sit there and stink, in fact I think it stinks less than the garbage used to.

[psyang]

Originally Posted by redforever

Why are so many having problems with their green bins smelling so much?

Most everything in green bins was in black bins before not?

Did you have the same problem with your black bins?

I notice no difference.

Speaking for our house, we used to put bad smelling scraps in a large zip lock freezer bag. We can't now since those bags aren't compostable, and having to empty the bag into a compostable bag at the end of the week was gag-inducing.

[Hockeyguy15]

How long does it take you guys to fill the small kitchen bin? I think I go through at least one a week. Between coffee filters, napkins, food scraps, it fills up quick.