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18 tips to fight off bin pests

When it’s warm, they are almost unavoidable: maggots, flies, fruit flies and other critters that see your dustbin as the ultimate holiday spot. Done with the swarming? These tips will get rid of them in no time!


Prevent maggots = keep flies away

Maggots are tricky to control, so prevention is your best option. And that means keeping flies away. Here's how to do it:

  • Keep the bottom of your bin dry so that things don’t rot – place newspaper, or a handful of straw or sawdust underneath it. Or, for your food waste caddy, cat litter pellets made from natural wood are biodegradable and great for absorption.
  • Keep your rubbish dry. So throw as few wet things in your bin as possible and let waste drain before throwing it away.
  • Wrap meat or fish in newspaper or put it in a (biodegradable) bag before throwing it away. Do the same with nappies, animal faeces, used sanitary towels and the 'mat' from meat packaging.
  • Movement- keep your bin out of the sun and empty it regularly. This will decrease the rate of rot.
  • Clean your bin regularly with hot water and soap.

Fight maggots

Once you have them, it is very difficult to get rid of maggots. But with these tips, hopefully you can:

  • Place your bin out in the sun with the lid open. Maggots hate light and dry out quickly. With a bit of luck, birds will come to snack on the maggots - so you'll be doing something good for nature, too!
  • After emptying your bin, clean it with soapy water. Make sure to rinse thoroughly with water and wipe the bin dry as well. Note: Your Brabantia bin has holes in the inner bucket and most of our outdoor bins are not waterproof either, so you can't leave water in them.
  • Always sprinkle some salt or lime over your rubbish. This will dry out the maggots and kill them. 

Bonus to all these tips: you get rid of nasty smells straight away! 


Small creature, big annoyance: fruit flies

Fruit flies descend on rotting or fermenting food - read: your organic waste bin and fruit basket. There they lay eggs on your 'forgotten fruit' - between 300 and 800 at a time. Those eggs hatch after a day and after about 8 days you then have a lot of adult fruit flies. In your home they can drive you pretty crazy.

Preventing fruit flies

Even with fruit flies, prevention is better than cure. This is how you do it:

  • Store suitable fruit in the fridge. Fruit flies won’t lay their eggs in the cold. Wash fruit that you put on the fruit bowl thoroughly in advance and eat it before it is overripe.
  • Preferably throw fruit and food waste in your compost bin outside. Close it properly and empty it on time.
  • Rinse dirty glasses immediately. Rinse beer and wine bottles well before putting them away.
  • Make sure there is no water at the bottom of your plant pots. This is not good for your plants and attracts fruit flies.
  • Do not use fruit-scented detergents (including lemon). Fruit flies love it.

Fighting fruit flies

  • Place a container with vinegar and a drop of washing-up liquid near the source. Fruit flies will dive in and drown. Wine works too, by the way - just leave a little in the bottle.

  • Regularly throw some vinegar with washing-up liquid down the sink. Fruit flies also like to hide in the drain.

  • Cut an orange in half and stick some cloves in it. Good against nasty fruit flies and odors.

  • Put a basil plant next to your fruit basket or rubbish bin, it will make fruit flies flee. They don't like dill, sage, garlic and lavender either.

  • Fruit flies do not like draughts. So open some windows or doors.

Looking for a great solution to keep pests away from your food? With our canisters and storage containers, it's a cinch. And check out our organic containers and waste bins - easy to clean and easy to empty. 

  1. StepUp Pedal Bin Recycle System 40L - Jade Green - Light Grey - Dark Grey
  2. Bo Touch Trash Can Hi 2 x 8 gallon (30 liter) - Mineral Concrete Gray
    $303.00
  3. Sort & Go Waste Trash Can 0.8 gallon (3 liter) - Gray
    $24.75
  4. Sort & Go Recycle Trash Can 10.6 gallon (40L) - Light Gray
    $68.00
  5. Sort & Go Stackable Waste Trash Can 5.3 gallon (20L) - Fir Green
    $62.00