How to keep your wheelie bin smelling fresh

by Craig Pryce January 24, 2020

We’ve all been there — you lift the lid on your wheelie bin to pop some waste or recycling inside and you instantly regret not having held your breath!

Sometimes you can be perplexed as to why it smells so bad, but at other times you know very well there’s some ‘bin juice’ lurking in the bottom of the container or some waste stuck to the insides.

So, what can you do to avoid this from happening in the future? We have outlined some top tips for a fresh wheelie bin below.

Use wheelie bin liners

The simplest and quickest way to keep your wheelie bins clean is to use wheelie bin liners.

Wheelie bin liners are large, durable plastic bags that you can place inside your waste container before you put any rubbish inside it. They feature leak-resistant bases, so you don’t have to worry about any nasty spillages, and you simply place a new one in your bin after each collection day.

The liners are available in a variety of sizes to suit the wide selection of wheelie bin sizes used by local councils and businesses, however, the most popular size is the 240-litre liner. This liner services both the 240-litre bin and the 120-litre bin.

Bear in mind that standard wheelie bin liners can’t be used in your mixed recycling bin, as the liner itself isn’t recyclable. However, check with your local council or waste management company, as there are compostable and biodegradable bin liners on the market, which may be more suitable for a recycling bin.

man carrying wheelie bin liner full of waste

Use bin bags indoors

If you don’t wish to use wheelie bin liners, you could use bags in your household bins to contain any messy rubbish. Simply tie each bag up when it’s full and this should keep your outdoor bins free from dirt.

However, spillages are possible — especially if you’re using bags that weren’t designed for the purpose.

Again, there are issues with your recycling bin too — most local councils do not want any bags in the mixed recycling bins. That being said, recyclables should be washed before being placed in the bin and should, therefore, be relatively clean.

Clean your bin regularly

If you don’t want to mess around with bin liners, you could just plan a regular wheelie bin clean into your schedule. If you want to know how to clean your bin quickly and effectively, we wrote a blog post on it.

If you don’t have the time or inclination to clean the bins yourself, you could employ a bin cleaner to do it for you.

If you have a fleet of bins you’d like cleaning and are based in the Liverpool area, we offer a bin cleaning service too which involves a jet wash and steam clean — so even the filthiest of bins come up sparkling!

Summary

In summary, there are several ways to tackle those nasty bin smells. Some people use bin air fresheners, but we find that those just mask the smell rather than tackling the cause.

So, for an odour-free wheelie bin, you’re best off trying bin liners or just giving it a regular clean.