REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

Gnomes · 05-12-2013, 06:13 AM

Last week I finally received my green bin and started reading up on it. I acknowledge that we are trying to make this city into the most green city it possibly can with carbon tax, bike lanes, and now this.

Wondering how people expect to deal with some potential problems I hear about are rat infestations, the smell of rotten food in alley during summer months, and maggots (image google "green bin maggots" and you will see what I mean).

The city suggest to freeze the scrap food until the day before pick up and put them out. I find that hard to do because not everyone have enough space in their freezer.

The city is also expecting to expand the project to condos too in the near future. That will mean increased maintenance fees to pay for exterminators.

Gridlock · 05-12-2013, 07:27 AM

In many respects, Vancouver is years behind the ball on this one.

We had this where I grew up in NS like 20 years ago. I'm not gonna lie, it was annoying hauling a cart up and down a long sloped gravel driveway.

They really don't smell. If people do it properly, and don't put meat scraps in, then you don't have a problem. It's the smell of meat that brings in rats, mice and other problems. Plus, its emptied weekly.

In New West, they are also rolling out the program. The bins were dropped off last week for one of my buildings. Everything has liners and such. Clean system. For the main cart, they even re-line it for me. If people don't hose out the apartment bucket, well, they will when they move out

I don't see it as a huge issue...besides, it saves money on garbage pick-up

dinosaur · 05-12-2013, 08:50 AM

I'm the opposite...I totally see this as being an issue in residential buildings.

I foresee issues with fruit flies, black flies, ants, etc in peoples' apartments AND I see issues with rodents in parking garages (where the dumpsters are).

As for freezing garbage????

I don't have the fucking room to store my fucking garbage in the freezer. I'm all about the environment, but ffs...I think this has gone too far.

Not a fan.

Gnomes · 05-12-2013, 10:44 AM

This project costs vancouver an additional 5.4 mil this year and expecting to increase next year. So no, this does not save the city money (unless you count money earned from selling fertilizer and decrease landfill)
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sleepywheel · 05-12-2013, 01:56 PM

We have the green bins in Burnaby and for the most part, it works out really well for us. Because we recycle as much as we can, our garbage bin is now the smallest one they have and the green bin is usually about half full except for during the winter months when there's hardly anything in it. There is the concern for smell during the summer but then I don't keep it inside the house and I don't have room in my freezer. This last week when I rolled it out to the alley, there were a lot of ants running around the food inside and during the summer when everything gets really ripe, the maggots start assembling. Nothing like grabbing the handle to move it and finding a bunch of squished maggots on your hand...............

Rat problems are nonexistant since we don't overfill it and the cover is always fully closed.

bcrdukes · 05-12-2013, 03:24 PM

I don't mind it because hipster.

dinosaur · 05-12-2013, 08:19 PM

My issue is that I don't see it working in apartment buildings. A house is one thing....but with semi-communal living you need to be concerned about the fucktard living next to you to be on top of it. We have enough problems with people collecting or stockpiling cans and pop bottles and it turning into an ant and fruit fly problem.

One thing for sure....my Orkin dude is going to be happy.

dinamix · 05-12-2013, 08:54 PM

It's stupid. Aint nobody got time to sort out garbage.

jbsali · 05-12-2013, 11:00 PM

honestly, i just attracts trouble. We've had these little green bins in surrey for a while and i've had nothing but problems with it. had to set up a mouse trap in my garage. moved the bin outside and have rats and racoons always messing with it and went to put some more food scraps in it and i was greeted my tons of maggots. i stopped using it...

i couldn't imagine this being used in condo complex's, etc

Gridlock · 05-13-2013, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dinosaur

One thing for sure....my Orkin dude is going to be happy.

...his father died last week and he was still "how are you diddly-doin' cutomer-ino?" with me....dude is always happy.

mb_ · 05-13-2013, 09:16 AM

This has been going on for a while in Surrey now and we've had no issues. They're collected weekly as opposed to every 2 weeks with garbage and recycling so rodents and what not have never been a problem.
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GLOW · 05-13-2013, 09:24 AM

TOS'd · 05-13-2013, 09:25 AM

We have been using one of those plastic rectangle salad containers without a lid for our fruits/vegetable scraps for a long time now. And we have had no problems with ants or flies in the house. It gets dumped into the green yard trimmings bin.

dinosaur · 05-13-2013, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GLOW

No word of a lie...this pops into my head at least once a day!

Love Ren & Stimpy!

winson604 · 05-18-2013, 01:03 AM

Just want to point out that the City of Vancouver, Surrey, Richmond, Burnaby and all of Metro Vancouver doesn't really have a choice in this matter. Metro Vancouver has put a ban on all food scraps to the Landfill by 2015. It was either now or later.

Lomac · 05-18-2013, 03:32 PM

Coming from someone that actually does composting in his backyard, I've never had an issue with rodents or other various animals/insects creating a mess. So long as you leave your lid on tight and don't put meat in (which is a no-no, anyway), you'll have nothing to worry about.

dinosaur · 05-18-2013, 03:51 PM

composting is different from this program.

this is a once a week pick-up of food scraps....not compost bin...no soil....no worms....no natural process.

rotting food...under the kitchen sink or in the freezer (ew) and put in a container in a parking garage for pick-up.

totally into composting! if the city was supplying compost bins with worms, soil, etc...i think it would be a lot better. this? not for communal living.

bcrdukes · 05-18-2013, 04:18 PM

Buy a house.

Gridlock · 05-19-2013, 08:15 AM

And this really shouldn't matter as you all currently...

pocket mulch?

Gnomes · 05-19-2013, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lomac

So long as you leave your lid on tight and don't put meat in (which is a no-no, anyway), you'll have nothing to worry about.

If you have no garburator and freezer is full, what will you do with waste meat? Heavily bagged in regular garbage (2 week collection)?

Lomac · 05-19-2013, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gnomes

If you have no garburator and freezer is full, what will you do with waste meat? Heavily bagged in regular garbage (2 week collection)?

I keep a collection of Ziplock freezer bags that i use for waste meat and bones, which I'll just place in the trash. Seems to work well as I haven't had an issue yet with wildlife cowtipping my garbage can.

FARMER · 05-20-2013, 01:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dinosaur

if the city was supplying compost bins with worms, soil, etc...i think it would be a lot better. this? not for communal living.

The city of Vancouver already sells backyard composting bins at greatly discounted prices (I have three of them; want more :P) and also worm composting bins for apartment folks. There are also free composting tutorials organized by Vancouver residents. I heart Vancouver.

dinosaur · 05-20-2013, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FARMER

The city of Vancouver already sells backyard composting bins at greatly discounted prices (I have three of them; want more :P) and also worm composting bins for apartment folks. There are also free composting tutorials organized by Vancouver residents. I heart Vancouver.

I am aware. But, this isn't what this program is....it is a food scrap bin, not compost.

finbar · 05-20-2013, 11:00 AM

I just read the city's page, it's excruciating, probably written by the anal retentive guy from SNL.
Wrap scraps in newspaper?, put in freezer?
Fuck me running!

OTOH, the Toronto scheme of bagging the scraps worked for me in '07.
Plus they took a wider variety.
Digester ftw.

FARMER · 05-20-2013, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dinosaur

I am aware. But, this isn't what this program is....it is a food scrap bin, not compost.

Then what were you trying to say in your previous post? If you want to compost your food scraps, the city subsidizes you for that, if you want to use these new bins you can do that. What else more do you want?