Domestic Waste - Covid

The Mighty Quinn · 12-04-2021 9:05am #1

Has anybody else been struggling with the amount of domestic waste produced in their house over the last year?

Staying at home meaning all meals are cooked here, so there's compost waste from egg shells, tea bags, veg peelings and all that.

The recycling bin is overflowing for each fortnight collection, since even ordering small items online seems to result in many layers of cardboard, and then the general waste bin is full to the brim each fortnight also, with so many things that can't be recycled.

I don't know if I need to contact the bin company and move up a size bin or what to do. Currently have 240L bins. Why do things have to come with SO much packaging!

punisher5112 · 12-04-2021 9:08am

Stand in the bin or if you have kids throw them in to stamp it down.

You could bring recycling to local recycling centre, compost bin if you have one should do you.

I think most are the same as never been home so much.

Notmything · 12-04-2021 9:14am

My youngest gets €2 for doing the bin dance, surprising how much room you can make by compacting down the recycling bin.

Definitely noticed a big increase in non recyclable waste however.

Chips Lovell · 12-04-2021 9:17am

I've a hotbin composter. Pretty much everything food-related goes in there. Haven't had to put out a brown bin in months. Any time there's a glut of carboard, like Christmas, I chuck it in the car and drive it down to the recycling centre.

Gregor Samsa · 12-04-2021 9:29am

For large cardboard boxes/packaging, I leave it sitting out for a couple of nights. The rain/dew/damp softens it up and make it much easier to fold into a more compact shape, so it takes up less space in the bin. It doesn't have to be left in torrential rain (in fact, it's better if it's not), just the damp air outside can over a couple of nights can be enough.

Chips Lovell · 12-04-2021 9:51am

AFAIK, wet cardboard can't be recycled.

completedit · 12-04-2021 9:54am

Where does waste from a vacuum go? Which bin?

seamus · 12-04-2021 9:59am

Honestly, no. Five in the house, including one in nappies. The recycle bin has occasionally been a bit full if we've got a few extra boxes, but a dance on it always makes loads of space. Black bin is always full, but never so much that I have to dance on it.

The Mighty Quinn · 12-04-2021 10:03am

I've the nappy issue also Seamus. A lot of nappies get produced in a fortnight.......!

Gregor Samsa · 12-04-2021 10:05am

Chips Lovell wrote: »

AFAIK, wet cardboard can't be recycled.

My recycling bin has a crack in the lid anyway, so everything in it gets wet.

Edit: Actually, I just read the recycling tips on my service's website, and while it does say that all recycling should be "clean and dry", it also says that large pieces of cardboard can be folded and left out beside the bin - which here on the west coast means a good 60% chance of being rained on overnight (we get 232 days with rain a year on average here).

lucalux · 12-04-2021 10:06am

completedit wrote: »

Where does waste from a vacuum go? Which bin?

Your general waste bin

lucalux · 12-04-2021 10:10am

I always flatten everything really well for the recycling, and do the 'bin dance'

or get one of these doohickys:

https://purchase.ie/product/waste-management/bin-trasher-domestic
They're very effective

And for the general waste bin I always make sure I compact each kitchen bag really well before bagging them up in bigger refuse bags in the bin.

Compost what you can if you have the space.
I reuse brown cardboard in the garden for weed suppression, and plastic trays/yoghurt pots this time of year become seed trays to start off plants for the garden.

seamus · 12-04-2021 10:17am

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

For large cardboard boxes/packaging, I leave it sitting out for a couple of nights. The rain/dew/damp softens it up and make it much easier to fold into a more compact shape, so it takes up less space in the bin. It doesn't have to be left in torrential rain (in fact, it's better if it's not), just the damp air outside can over a couple of nights can be enough.

Have a stanley knife to hand and just slice up any corrugated cardboard boxes into smaller bits. Folding them up is a big waste of space.

Vita nova · 12-04-2021 10:20am

Compress everything before it goes in the bin, especially empty liquid containers, it takes more time but it's far more effective than trying to compress the entire contents of the bin.
Also, put your Tetris skills to good use.

EmmetSpiceland · 12-04-2021 10:22am

seamus wrote: »

Honestly, no. Five in the house, including one in nappies. The recycle bin has occasionally been a bit full if we've got a few extra boxes, but a dance on it always makes loads of space. Black bin is always full, but never so much that I have to dance on it.

Similar situation here, S. I even forgot to put the “general waste” bin out the week before last. It’s well full now but I haven’t had to stamp it and they’ll be collecting it tomorrow.

I guess the fact we’d be a “green” conscious household and wouldn’t be surviving on nuggets, freezer pizzas and those vile Findus pancakes.

Domestic Waste - Covid

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