I once opened my kitchen bin to be greeted by a couple of bluebottles and a nightmarish mass of maggots. I can still see them now, clustered around the rim, crawling all over one another. I slammed the lid shut before retreating to the kitchen sink for a fresh bag and some heavy-duty disinfectant. The bin wasn’t full or overly rotten – all it took was one hot day and one curious fly to find its way in.
Maggots in your bin are a major problem at this time of year. It’s not surprising, when you consider the heat and fast-rotting food. And if you think it’s bad enough indoors, your wheelie bin is an even bigger, easier target, especially when it’s overflowing. Thankfully, there is a simple solution for these unwelcome guests – all it takes is one everyday item you’re likely throwing away anyway. Here’s what you need to do.
Why are there maggots in my bin?
Flies want to lay their eggs in spaces that are warm, moist and dark, with plenty of decomposing organic matter to feed the larvae. That’s why they often lay eggs in compost heaps and animal faeces – but the wheelie bin ticks every box. One female fly needs only to find its way in, after which it lays its eggs directly on top of the organic matter. Then, eight to 24 hours later, the eggs hatch into larvae, aka maggots. About a week after that, those maggots turn into adult flies. That’s why, depending on how often you use your wheelie bin, you might be greeted with a flurry of flies.
When looking for somewhere to lay her eggs, the female fly is drawn to the smell of decomposing food, particularly rotting meat, fermenting fruit and decaying fish. If the food is left uncovered or leaking, then it’s more obvious and accessible – that’s why overflowing and smelly bins that are loaded with bin juice are attractive grounds for laying eggs.
How can I prevent maggots in my wheelie bin?
Keeping your wheelie bin clean is paramount if you want to avoid maggots. That means it needs to be sealed, emptied regularly and deep cleaned when required. But one residue tends to build up in the interim no matter how vigilant you are – bin juice.
Bin juice collects at the bottom of your wheelie bin (as well as the kitchen bin) and it’s all too alluring to flies. It’s made from a combination of all the liquids and oils that leak out of the bottom of your bin bags, which then sits stagnant and hidden. If you want to make the space less attractive for laying eggs, you need to get rid of the bin juice. It’s not the easiest of spots to reach and clean routinely, but there is a household solution you can use to help – newspaper.
Lining the bottom of your wheelie bin with newspaper means it will soak up any bin juice that escapes from your bin bags. The juice is absorbed, rather than sitting in a puddle, so the smell is less poignant to flies. That makes your bin easier to deep clean when the time comes, too, as the paper can just be lifted away.
Newspaper’s not the only solution that works for this – you can also use cardboard or sawdust, and even cat litter will do the trick – but for ease of removal and cleaning, newspaper or cardboard are the best choices. In fact, it’s just one of many useful ways to reuse old newspaper.
Bicarb is also useful in the kitchen bin, but for deodorising, rather than absorbing bin juice.
And you’ll need to remove and change the newspaper liner regularly, otherwise it will eventually stop working and the bin juice will simply puddle on top. How long the paper lasts will depend on how much bin juice it’s exposed to, but we recommend inspecting and changing it whenever the bin is emptied. For your wheelie bin, that might be once a week; for the kitchen bin, perhaps every few days. Make it a thick layer of newspaper for durability and to help prevent it from soaking through and sticking. Newspaper is also ideal for lining your compost bin for the same reason.
Other ways to prevent maggot infestations in your wheelie bin
- Tip away excess liquids before binning.
- Double-bag to prevent punctures.
- Keep the bin sealed.
- Make sure it’s emptied regularly.
- Deep clean the wheelie bin every month or so, or whenever there’s a spill. Use soapy water with a pressure washer and tip the excess down the wastewater drain. Disinfect once clean.
- Avoid direct sunlight when storing your bin.
Bin cleaning kit
