Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I put food waste down the garbage disposal but things like chicken bones/skin and veg peels can't go in there. I just put them in one of the plastic produce bags and tie it and put it in the frig. I've never put it in the freezer compartment because I'd forget it if it was up there. I take my trash out every day anyway. I think they pick up twice weekly but it doesn't matter as we can deposit trash 24/7. I rinse out milk cartons and cans for recycling. I do have a small covered trash can but try not to put anything stinky in there. I had a co-worker that told me her kid's dead hamster was preserved in her freezer! I was afraid to ask why?
When I lived in apartment with the dumpster super far away I used the two bag system similar to what others have described. A small trash can under the sink lined with a plastic grocery bag. (Check and make sure there are no holes.) When that became full or had a lot of food trash it was tied up and went to a standard size kitchen trash can with lid in the laundry room. When that was full I would take it out the next time I went somewhere.
The only time I ran into problems with smell was if I went out of town for business and forgot to take out the trash before leaving, even then the smell wasn't too bad. We use a similar system in our house now, except the trash now goes into a big black trash bag in the garage, before going into one of the large wheeled bins to go the curb. Not having a larger trashcan in the kitchen used to annoy me, but I have gotten use to it. Also one less thing for my two year old son to try to get into.
If the OP is having bug problems, it probably means the building doesn't have any sort of regular pest control service. Other issue could be if another tenant in the building has a filthy kitchen they could just be spilling over into yours so to speak.
I wondered if someone would mention the simply human cans. They are gorgeous works of art. How about that round red one. The problem I have is wondering what mischief our cats will get into. I know they are creative and feel that the automatic eye one certainly and the step feature ...they will figure those out and only care that the features let them in the can and not care at all about thinking ahead to how they'll get out.
We have the step can and our kitties never bother with it. I wondered about the electric eye can.... but these guys can be smart. One of them who loves to drink from the faucet figured out how to turn on the bathroom sink tap (lever handles) and flooded our bathroom once..... that was fun.
If you twist tie a plastic bag, can some smell get out of it anyway? Or would it make sense to leave it twist tied till you have time to take it to the dumpster?
I'm weird but I always but anything funky leftovers, banana peels etc in those cheap gallon plastic baggies (the ones that cost like a $1 for 100 and come with twist-ties)
I tend not to throw out leftovers or fridge stuff thats gone bad until I'm taking the garbage out.
Now we have VALET TRASH!!!! 5 Days a week Sun-Thurs I love it! I put my garbage can out b/t 6-8pm and they pick it up at 8pm. I never venture out to the dumpster anymore. I'm only one person so I only have about 1 bag of trash a week.
I'm a vegetarian so obviously I never had meat product waste to start smelling or rotting. When I lived by myself in an apartment, I used a smallish trash can with a lid and those scented trash bags. I never had a problem with rodents or odor!
Also, I used to take my trash out when I was going outside for a jog or to my car, so that it wasn't necessarily a special dedicated trip to the dumpster.
my garbage pails are in my cabinets, there are 2 of them. we empty garbage out at least every other day, so even if there is food in there, it doesn't really stay that long in the apartment.
we use both pails for garbage as we don't recycle. the pails aren't giant size, so 2 are really needed. But the garbage bags fit in them good.
Think about eating your veggies/fruits with the peels. They're full of vitamins. If you must peel, wash your veggies well and collect the peels for storage in the freezer. On your day off, throw all in a large pot and cover with cold water. Throw in some extra onion/carrots/celery if you have it, a couple of stalks of parsley, and a few peppercorns. Simmer, covered, on low for a few hours, strain, season to taste, and use the vegetable broth as a base for soup. The simmered vegetables should be more than soft enough to go down the disposal without any problem.
Chicken carcass? Save the bones in the freezer, and make stock with them, similar to above. Then, place the simmered bones in a bag in the freezer and take out on trash day to prevent household odors. Nothing gross about it. I make it a habit to simmer my stock the evening before trash pick-up and take them out immediately. Use the broth to make soup or stew. Or use it to boil your pasta. Or drink it warm when you're feeling under the weather.
As for grease, I'm going to assume we're probably talking about bacon grease. Pour it in an old jelly jar and store it in the fridge. Add a dab to a pot of beans for extra flavor, or fry your eggs/pancakes in it. Only takes a tiny bit. Save the butter for toast.
As for bananas, I rarely have them, but the peels can be added to a countertop compost container. These containers seal tightly and often have filters in the lids. Take the contents out to the dumpster whenever it's convenient.
Plan your eating to prevent waste. Eat that leftover chili before it goes bad. It's awful to think about the amount of food we Americans send to the landfill.
Last edited by randomparent; 12-06-2013 at 11:47 AM..
If your garbage is attracting rodents in a day or two's time, there's a problem other than throwing food away. I'll tie up the raw chicken package in a plastic bag and throw it in the trash. If I happen to have a banana peel I'll throw it out the back door into the woods. Other than that, I take the trash out when it's full or smells.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
