Bin hygiene

Maggots are the larva stage of the common housefly. Flies are attracted to food and other rubbish - they lay their eggs on the rubbish and then hatch into maggots. These form pupae and then hatch into flies.

The whole of this life cycle can take up to 10 days in warm weather, and up to month in cold weather.

Keep the flies away

To avoid getting maggots in your bin - simply keep the flies away. Following these simple guidelines will help keep the flies off and the maggots away.

Disposing of waste

• Double wrap food waste to reduce the smell and stop the flies laying eggs on the food
• Rinse polystyrene food trays, yoghurt pots and other food packaging that cannot be recycled to reduce the smell of your rubbish
• Use a kitchen caddy for your food waste in the kitchen, and line it with newspaper or a brown paper bag so that food can be wrapped before being put in your green bin or brown sack
• In hot weather you may wish to put food waste in your green bin (wrapped in newspaper or paper bags) one week and your black bin (tied in plastic bags) the next, so that you have a weekly collection of food waste
• Rinse your bin out regularly and keep it clean - you may wish to use a bin cleaning service for this
• If possible store your wheeled bin out of direct sunlight, as the sun will warm up the bin, increase the smell and help attract flies
• Ensure that the lid of your wheeled bin is kept closed - if your bin is damaged or missing please report it to our customer service team who can arrange a replacement
• Compost your kitchen vegetable waste in a home compost bin with a lid - this complements the green bin service
• If nappies are included in your rubbish, empty solids into the toilet and double bag the nappy. Consider using real washable nappies

In the kitchen

• Empty your kitchen bin and kitchen caddy regularly and make sure waste is properly wrapped or bagged before putting it in your wheeled bins
• Ensure your kitchen bins have close fitting lids - 'swing-top' bins can sometimes let flies get inside
• Keep all food covered up and do not leave food waste on work surfaces - wrap it and put it in your kitchen caddy or bin straight away
• Try not to prepare more food than you need, so reducing the amount of food you throw away

Getting rid of maggots

• If maggots do get into your wheeled bin, most of them will go when your bin is emptied
• Maggots and fly eggs can be killed by using boiling water
• Clean/wash your bin out after it has been emptied - if you don't want to clean it yourself, you can get in touch with professional bin cleaners
• Try using a cleaning product with a fragrance - this will help to deter flies from your bin