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Food & Yard Waste - Apartment Residents
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Food Waste Tips
Food Waste Tips
Avoiding fruit flies and odors
Handling kitchen scraps
Compostable bags
How do I avoid fruit flies and odors?
Fruit flies are most active in the warmer months. Though they are pesky, they will not harm you or the waste. Here are tips to keep fruit fly populations down:
- • Keep your kitchen food scraps container sealed, with a good lid. If you use newspaper or uncoated paper bags to wrap scraps, take them out to the cart immediately. If you use an approved compostable bag, keep it contained in the kitchen or take it out often.
- • Treat your food scraps as “leftovers” and keep them in the refrigerator or freezer until collection day.
- • To reduce odors, sprinkle baking soda in the container.
- • Wash your kitchen container thoroughly with detergent and water after every use.
- • Use a vacuum cleaner (very effective for removing fruit flies).
For more information, please call the Garden Hotline at (206) 633-0224.
How can I store kitchen scraps?
You can use any new or used kitchen container but many people prefer something with a tight fitting lid, especially one that can be opened easily with one hand.
- • Containers can be plastic, metal or ceramic. Lining it with paper towels or newspaper may help keep it cleaner.
- • If you use a plastic bag to store food scraps, put the plastic bag into the garbage after you dump the food scraps into the Food & Yard Waste cart. Plastic bags are not allowed in the cart because they degrade the quality of the compost.
- • If you use a milk carton, do not put the milk carton into the cart. Rinse it out and reuse, or recycle it. The thin plastic lining of the carton contaminates the compost.
What are approved compostable bags and where can I get them?
Some people like to bag their food waste before placing it in their cart to avoid odors and sticking. Compostable bags are made of material such as corn.
Only compostable bags that are approved by the composting facility are accepted in the cart. These currently include BioBags, EcoSafe, BioSak, Nature Friendly, and EcoGuard. BioBag is the product currently most available.
You can buy compostable bags at a variety of retail stores or order online.
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