Bi-weekly collection of compost cans is not enough. Island Waste Watch needs to collect them weekly in hot weather

Maggots in garbage bin

Summer is here and the Green Carts are full of maggots. There is very little you can do about it other then empty the food compost they thrive on.

Maggots are the larvae stage of flies that live on a 7 day cycle. Unchecked they can reproduce and make an ugly sight when emptying food and other compostables in the Green Cans.  Maggots and flies pose a health risk to humans.

They are attracted by rotting food. The solution is to remove the compost more often. Two week intervals in the summer are too long and allow the pesky insects to become plentiful.

From July to August in Halifax the Green Cans are collected weekly. This is the only logical answer to reducing maggot infestations. 

Some one with common sense in government or the City of Charlottetown could make that change at very low cost and with significant health benefit to the population.

The following generic information on maggot control was provided by the City of Hamilton. Good luck.

Green Cart

• Flies are attracted to your green cart by the odour of rotting food. Sanitation is important to reduce this odour. Your green cart should be cleaned regularly using a solution of borax and water or vinegar and water. Alternatively, mild soaps can be used to clean your green cart. Please ensure no cleaning solution is left in the cart for collection. Wash and rinse your cart over a landscaped area such as a lawn or shrubbery, not near gutters or storm drains as the rinse water might wash down storm drains and flow directly into local creeks and waterways. Be sure your green cart is dry before use.
• Remove all residual liquid from the bottom of your cart after collection to detract flies.
• Line the bottom of your cart with paper products such as crumpled newspaper, boxboard, fibre egg cartons, take-out trays or greasy pizza boxes to absorb liquid and prevent material from sticking to the bottom of the cart. Large paper bags, such as leaf and yard waste bags, may also be used to line the cart.
• Odours can also be eliminated using locally available deodorizers such as Green Bin Deodorizer. Try sprinkling your cart with vinegar or baking soda as well to eliminate odours.
• Store your cart in a well-ventilated area.
• Cover your green cart with black plastic sheeting such as a garbage bag during the summer months to trap heat and reduce fly survival. Flies are most active at average temperatures of 20 – 25ºC and become undetectable above 45ºC and below 10ºC.

Food Preparation

• Flies are particularly attracted by protein sources, mostly meat and bones. Try waiting until the night before collection before placing these items in the green cart.
• Drain as much liquid as possible from the organic waste.
• Wrap food tightly in newspaper or other paper products (such as boxboard) before placing it in the green cart.
• If space permits, freeze meat / fruit / vegetable organic waste in newspaper or paper bags then put it into the green cart the night before collection.
• When cleaning out your refrigerator, try waiting until the day before your collection day, rather than the day after.

Storage

• The longer your organic waste remains in the green cart, the longer flies have the opportunity to breed in it. Put your green cart out for collection every week, even if it isn’t full.
• Flies are not readily attracted to green carts if wet and rotting foods aren’t exposed. Try alternating two to four inch layers of kitchen waste with a layer of dry leaf and yard waste or paper products. A light sprinkling of soil to cover food layers will also help suppress smells and flies.
• Certain odours will repel flies such as pennyroyal, camphor, eucalyptus, mint or bay. Try hanging some bruised leaves of these herbs in clusters or applying dabs of herbal oil to the outside of your green cart.
• Line the outer rim of the cart with salt or vinegar to prevent flies from entering the container. Sprinkle rock salt or lime inside the cart as a further preventative measure.

If you have discovered maggots in your green cart, try the following measures to control them, and then clean your green cart thoroughly after the next collection day. Be sure to leave no residue in the bottom of the cart and ensure it is dry before use.

• Cover the maggots with lime, salt or vinegar.
• Diatomaceous Earth is a natural fossil product that kills maggots, slugs, etc. Check garden centres and nurseries for availability.