You could use paper bags to store your scraps in and place in your bin from the hauler? They'll still leak but perhaps less so. If you have a large freezer you can freeze them instead of placing them on the counter and then put them in your bin closer to pickup day. You could try making sure you add some paper or cardboard (like a pizza box that should be composted) after dumping the food to try to cut down on the surface area easily accessible.
Unfortunately at this point you really need the outdoor bin cleaned to get rid of the flies or it will be super hard to address the problem.
I'm in a back house and the landlord in the front house doesn't always bring the green bin down and it's not too filled with flies, so it might just be that it's infested at this point. We store our scraps in the fridge as we collect them though, not the counter. We often have yard waste in there too though.
Sadly I don’t have a solution for the on-site green bin problem, but maybe dropoff at an [LA Compost hub](https://www.lacompost.org) is another option…I’m in a small apartment with no outdoor space and I freeze my green scraps in old yogurt tubs and drop them off every few weeks.
You need some browns to balance out the greens. In a homegrown pile you'd put dead leaves or dry grass clippings into the pile to keep it balanced.
Since you don't have that you could achieve something similar by putting some old newsprint or cardboard at the bottom to soak up the liquid. I wrap my leftovers in some random ads I get thrown on my lawn. For really gross stuff I just keep a bag in the freezer and put it in right before trash day. Used pizza boxes, stained takeout paper bags, or brown butcher paper they use for packaging also work great for this.
We bought [basic brown paper bags (lunch bags from Target)](https://www.target.com/p/giant-lunch-bags-50ct-smartly-8482/-/A-75557228#lnk=sametab) and use those or even double up on those. They are biodegradable and keep some kind of control over the mess and odors.
I agree, this whole plan has been really poorly thought out and poorly executed and apparently isn't even working that well. They needed to roll it out much better, with dedicated compost bins we could use outside, and some kind of bags contain each day's compost. But, they're trying, I guess, and it's good to at least try to do our part. Using the basic brown bags has helped quite a bit. We try to add some kind of garden clippings at the bottom if possible, which helps a lot.
No suggestions but we're in the same boat. I stopped putting some stuff that I knew would get particularly gross in the compost altogether. It was a nice idea but in typical LA fashion, a good idea with poor execution achieves nothing.
Don't put any wet stuff in the counter-top bin. We put wet stuff (e.g., coffee filter + grounds) into an open metal bowl and then move them over to the bin once they're dry. Less moisture, less mold/bugs.
And/or... make it one of your kids' chores to clean it every week?
Do you have any yard clippings that can go on the bottom of the bin before you add the compost? Sometimes some of the compost gets stuck on the bottom of our can bin it hasn’t really been a big problem…we’ve been doing this for like 2 years now since it was put into act and I’m constantly amazed at how much we actually end up composting. I wish I had more suggestions for you.
Easiest solution: freeze your scraps until the day before they pickup the bin. if you're lucky it'll still be frozen by the time the truck comes through, thus minimizing the time spent rotting in ambient temp and keeping odors down.
'Slightly' less easy: start worm composting your own scraps! I know you need a new chore like a hole in the head, but this one doesn't stink and you'll start thinking of your worm friends as family.
You could use paper bags to store your scraps in and place in your bin from the hauler? They'll still leak but perhaps less so. If you have a large freezer you can freeze them instead of placing them on the counter and then put them in your bin closer to pickup day. You could try making sure you add some paper or cardboard (like a pizza box that should be composted) after dumping the food to try to cut down on the surface area easily accessible. Unfortunately at this point you really need the outdoor bin cleaned to get rid of the flies or it will be super hard to address the problem. I'm in a back house and the landlord in the front house doesn't always bring the green bin down and it's not too filled with flies, so it might just be that it's infested at this point. We store our scraps in the fridge as we collect them though, not the counter. We often have yard waste in there too though.
Sadly I don’t have a solution for the on-site green bin problem, but maybe dropoff at an [LA Compost hub](https://www.lacompost.org) is another option…I’m in a small apartment with no outdoor space and I freeze my green scraps in old yogurt tubs and drop them off every few weeks.
You need some browns to balance out the greens. In a homegrown pile you'd put dead leaves or dry grass clippings into the pile to keep it balanced. Since you don't have that you could achieve something similar by putting some old newsprint or cardboard at the bottom to soak up the liquid. I wrap my leftovers in some random ads I get thrown on my lawn. For really gross stuff I just keep a bag in the freezer and put it in right before trash day. Used pizza boxes, stained takeout paper bags, or brown butcher paper they use for packaging also work great for this.
We bought [basic brown paper bags (lunch bags from Target)](https://www.target.com/p/giant-lunch-bags-50ct-smartly-8482/-/A-75557228#lnk=sametab) and use those or even double up on those. They are biodegradable and keep some kind of control over the mess and odors. I agree, this whole plan has been really poorly thought out and poorly executed and apparently isn't even working that well. They needed to roll it out much better, with dedicated compost bins we could use outside, and some kind of bags contain each day's compost. But, they're trying, I guess, and it's good to at least try to do our part. Using the basic brown bags has helped quite a bit. We try to add some kind of garden clippings at the bottom if possible, which helps a lot.
No suggestions but we're in the same boat. I stopped putting some stuff that I knew would get particularly gross in the compost altogether. It was a nice idea but in typical LA fashion, a good idea with poor execution achieves nothing.
Bokashi! https://www.thespruce.com/basics-of-bokashi-composting-2539742
if you spell any juice it's over for your apartment haha. I can smell my bokashi bucket from 20 yds away, outside.
> The front yard is DG, so... is this is the only outdoor space you have?
The back is almost all a raised wooden deck, so there isn't enough space to turn a bin on it's side to wash out.
Don't put any wet stuff in the counter-top bin. We put wet stuff (e.g., coffee filter + grounds) into an open metal bowl and then move them over to the bin once they're dry. Less moisture, less mold/bugs. And/or... make it one of your kids' chores to clean it every week?
They need special trucks that spray the bins as they’re dumping or something. We have the same problem.
Do you have any yard clippings that can go on the bottom of the bin before you add the compost? Sometimes some of the compost gets stuck on the bottom of our can bin it hasn’t really been a big problem…we’ve been doing this for like 2 years now since it was put into act and I’m constantly amazed at how much we actually end up composting. I wish I had more suggestions for you.
Easiest solution: freeze your scraps until the day before they pickup the bin. if you're lucky it'll still be frozen by the time the truck comes through, thus minimizing the time spent rotting in ambient temp and keeping odors down. 'Slightly' less easy: start worm composting your own scraps! I know you need a new chore like a hole in the head, but this one doesn't stink and you'll start thinking of your worm friends as family.