COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE (1)

Monday, October 18, 2010

MOTION NO. 10

MOTION: Councillor S. Crowe

This motion calls on the manager to allow the use of biodegradable bin liners inside the Brown Bins in this Committee area.  The current practise of depositing waste directly into the brown wheelie bin is resulting in a poor uptake of the use of the bins.  These bins take meat and cooked food waste which are not normally put into compost bins because they attract vermin and other pests and as the bins are not collected weekly this waste is rotting away inside the bin leaving a smelly residue inside the bin after it has been emptied and during the summer months this resulted in blue bottles and maggots accumulating in the bin, which are a Health & Safety concern.  If biodegradable bin liners were permitted these problems would be greatly reduced and I firmly believe that more people would opt to use the brown bins.    

REPORT:

The Council commenced delivery of brown bins to customers on the high density routes on June 21st 2010. On receipt of the bins, customers were advised to wrap any foodstuff waste in paper to prevent leakage and odour emanating from the waste. Use of old paper to wrap food waste is generally the environmentally and economically preferable option, and should be recommended as a first option in all instances.  

It is not uncommon for bins to smell unpleasant and experience flies and maggots where food waste is present. This is to be expected in particular as ‘food waste’ in the bin is the next generation meal in the food chain to primary decomposers ‘flies and maggots’. To combat this there are a few simple things customers can do to reduce and prevent the odours and insects:

• Keep the lid closed on the bin at all times.
• Double-bag all food waste, particularly meat. Use only 100% compostable bags; they will decay leaving no residue. Biodegradable and Compostable are not the same.
• Recycle waste so that general refuse is minimized and the bin lid remains shut.
• Keep the bin out of direct sunlight (slowing general decomposition, reducing smells and slowing the development of maggots, etc.). 
• Do not leave waste food exposed inside the home before putting it in the bin, as flies can lay eggs during this time. Uncovered bins inside the kitchen can also allow flies to lays eggs on waste food. 
• Squeeze the air out of bags used to contain food waste, etc. before tying and put in the bin (the lack of air should slow down general decomposition, reduce smells and slow the development of maggots, etc.).

Maggots will only appear in the bin if the eggs have been laid in a suitable food source for them to develop. If bins are kept closed, flies should not be able to enter to lay their eggs.

Following discussions with the treatment facility the Council are permitting the use of 100% Compostable refuse bags and liners in the brown bin.  These products are available to purchase in hardware stores, on supermarket shelves and on the internet. Some of the products state on the wrapper that they are suitable for use in Council brown bins.  These products are available in different sizes for domestic household waste, garden waste and bin liners.

 When purchasing a product the customer is advised to check the product label to determine whether it is compostable, if this is not clearly indicated on the label/packaging they are not suitable for the brown bin but could be used in the black bin to store residual waste. 

 The Council will continue to monitor the tonnages of residual waste and bio waste and the contamination levels of both the black bin and the brown bin to obtain accurate figures for assessment of the impact of the introduction of the new system.