The kitchen trash can/bin

[TastyReuben]

I’m assuming we all have some kind of trash can/bin in the kitchen, probably either out in the open or behind a cabinet/pantry door somewhere. Mine is out in the open, is stainless steel, and has a foot pedal-operated lid. I’m guessing most have a lid.

I’m not going to ask you to post a pic of it (surprise!), but rather to answer a little question:

Let’s say you’ve just changed the liner (assuming you use some sort of liner…lots of assumptions in my tale of trash!), just put in a fresh one, and due to the happenstance of your menu planning, you in short order throw away some stinky stuff in there - let’s say it’s fish skin, onion peelings…and cantaloupe rind.

It’s a new liner…the lid does a champion job of holding the stink in when it’s down, but the moment you go to throw something else away…POOF!…all that bottled-up odor shoots out and fills the kitchen, though it’s momentary. Once the lid closes and a few minutes have passed, all is right again.

The Question: Are you one to immediately throw that out and get a another new liner, even though that one has barely been used and is nowhere near capacity, or are you one to leave that liner in there until it’s packed to the top and you’ve gotten full use of it, since the passing stink is just something that’s temporary?

You may think that an odd question, but in my family, I’ve known my paternal grandparents to argue over it (Grandmom would change it immediately), my parents (Dad would have my mom change it immediately), my in-laws (FIL would have my MIL change it immediately), and in our house (I change it immediately), so I’m thinking it’s something that does come up in most home kitchens.

Thoughts?

 

[Morning Glory]

You have hit on my most hated kitchen 'thing'. I wish there could be a way to do away with them entirely! Even if you compost waste it is almost impossible to do without a kitchen bin as there are so many other items which we can't put in the 'green' re-cycling bin here.

Where I am there are small compostable waste bins which are collected by the council. They are lined with biodegradable bags and kept outside - so that is where food waste goes. Some people collect it indoors and then transfer it to the outdoor compostable bin.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Let’s say you’ve just changed the liner (assuming you use some sort of liner…lots of assumptions in my tale of trash!), just put in a fresh one, and due to the happenstance of your menu planning, you in short order throw away some stinky stuff in there - let’s say it’s fish skin, onion peelings…and cantaloupe rind.

None of that goes into our kitchen bin. It would be in the compost bin. We use the Japanese composting system called Bokashi. It's been the only system that has truely worked for us and it doesn't smell at all.

Bokashi Composting: A Step By Step Instructional Guide

Once we need the bin again (we operate 3 of them because we produce a lot of veg "waste" with us growing a lot of our own stuff and being vegan), we'll bury the contents (which do actually smell sweet & fermented) in the veg plot and let it finish off there, or in a compost heap (buried and not turned because bokashi is an anaerobic system.) The liquid that gets created is drained and fed to whatever plants look like they need a healthy dose of something.

I wonder if perhaps your better option would be to consider what you're putting into it when it's "clean" and how long it might be there and wrap it up in something that doesn't leak or smell rather than waste plastic by replacing the entire bag. A bio degradable dog poo bag might be a good option.

 

[Rocklobster]

We fill ours to the top. I bought a box of biodegradable produce bags and put any animal by products in there and tie it up to keep the smell and leakage down. But, if it is really stinky we just bring it to work and throw it into the garbage bin there..you want to talk stink? That is one foul bin..

 

[TastyReuben]

We use the Japanese composting system called Bokashi.

I’d never heard of that. Very interesting. We’ve tried the usual kinds of composting here over the years (big pile out back, and a spinning drum) and never had much success.

I think I’ll get a composting topic going sometime today.

 

[Rocklobster]

I’d never heard of that. Very interesting. We’ve tried the usual kinds of composting here over the years (big pile out back, and a spinning drum) and never had much success.

I think I’ll get a composting topic going sometime today.

We’ve had to stop because of the rat problem our town had last year.

 

[badjak]

I don't use a liner...
Small bowl for veg waste, daily on compost heap.
Bones etc go to the dogs

 

[caseydog]

We’ve had to stop because of the rat problem our town had last year.

That would be a problem where I live too. There is a 3,000 acre ranch a bock aways, so lots of field rats living there. Compost would bring them into the neighborhood -- an all-you-can-eat buffet for rats.

CD

 

[caseydog]

I have a hanging trash bag, and take rinsed recyclables out to the recycle cart daily. If I have any raw meat scraps or packaging, I take it straight to the outdoor rolling trash cart. Basically, anything that will stink in a day or two goes straight outside.

CD

 

[Rocklobster]

That would be a problem where I live too. There is a 3,000 acre ranch a bock aways, so lots of field rats living there. Compost would bring them into the neighborhood -- an all-you-can-eat buffet for rats.

CD

We have some back now. One reason is because of the vegetable garden is full
of ripe veggies. But, my mother had a garden here for 30 years and never had a problem.

 

[caseydog]

We have some back now. One reason is because of the vegetable garden is full
of ripe veggies. But, my mother had a garden here for 30 years and never had a problem.

I have a feral cat that likes to hang out in my yard. He takes care of the small number of rats that wander into my yard. He has more food in winter, when the rats try to move into my garage to escape the cold.

I put water down for him in these hot, dry summers, and he's not afraid of me, anymore.

CD

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

We’ve had to stop because of the rat problem our town had last year.

Perhaps it is a problem with normal composting but Bokashi isn't the usual compost technique. Read it and you'll see.
We akso have mouse and rat problems (just search for NSW mouse plague) but this is a completely anaerobic composting method in an enclosed bin. There isn't even a fruit fly issue, and no way for rodents to get at it. The entire thing happens in your house, or garage. No smells, no mess, etc. We only bury the contents in our compost heap at the end because that's where I store it before it is used on the veg plot. This is a system where ground coffee beans and citrus rind can go in in any quantity. And it works.