Aussie's solution to FOGO bin problem in warm weather: 'Really simple'
As the weather warms and summer approaches, there are a few easy tips to avoid unwanted bin invaders.
Councils across the country are gradually introducing Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) bins and dutiful Aussies are doing their best to ensure that their waste ends up in the correct bin.
But as weather warms and critters come out in droves, one Aussie waste expert has revealed exactly what to do to avoid unwanted bin invaders like flies and maggots.
Lottie Dalziel, founder of Banish, a marketplace designed to help Australians live more eco-friendly lives, told Yahoo that there are simple steps that Aussies can take to keep flies and other pests out of their FOGO bins.
"If you’ve got something sitting there on the kitchen bench it’s going be fermenting away," she told Yahoo of waste in FOGO benchtop caddies. "It’s going to attract those pesky little flies that nobody wants."
"Firstly empty your bin as much as possible," she suggested. When it comes to the size of FOGO bins, Lottie believes "smaller is better" so it's emptied more frequently.
Another handy tip she suggests is putting the FOGO waste in the freezer instead of on the countertop until it's ready to be taken out.
"I actually put mine in the freezer," she said. "You’re keeping everything off the bench, no mess no smells no nothing and it’s a really simple way of alleviating all those different stresses."
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FOGO pests 'coming out of the woodwork' in warm weather
One pest particularly attracted to FOGO bins is the fruit fly and Lottie warned "where there is one there is more."
"We’re also starting to see fruit flies breeding and coming out of the woodwork," she said. "They lay their little eggs everywhere."
A fly net or basket over a fruit bowl is a good way to stop them in the first place, Lottie said.
"Apple cider vinegar traps work for little flies but for the big whoppers cut a lemon in half and stick cloves into the half lemon. The smell is funky and the flies don’t particularly enjoy it."
Insect ecologist Emeritus Professor Myron Zalucki previously told Yahoo News Australia that insects like flies can spread diseases — when they “breed in the food scraps”. Professor Zalucki said bins should be cleaned more regularly and sealed properly to help reduce the problem.
House flies “carry a large number of pathogens which can cause serious infections in humans and animals”, according to a BMC Public Health study, however “more studies are needed to identify new pathogens carried by the house fly”.
“House flies usually feed and reproduce in faeces, animal manure, carrion and other decaying organic substances, and thus live in intimate association with various microorganisms including human pathogens, which may stick to body surfaces of the fly,” the study states. “The constant back and forth movement of house flies between their breeding sites and human dwellings can lead to the transmission of pathogens to humans and animals.”
Council bin move 'exciting' step for Aussies
While the introduction of FOGO bins by councils around the country has proven controversial with many residents decrying swarms of maggots and not enough space for rubbish in smaller general waste bins, Lottie says in her community, that couldn't be further from the truth.
"For us and the people we talk to, everyone is really excited about it," she said, adding that many are even desperate for their council to introduce the bin change.
"It’s an exciting step for households to make," she said.
"The most divisive thing is the bags that people get given with their compost bin," she explained. Yahoo reported that some councils have moved to ban falsely marketed biodegradable bin liners – also known as caddy liners.
"I would be making sure that it's home compostable. There are two different symbols on the back either industrial compostable or home compostable, and that's the one we need to look at."
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