Ask LH: How Can I Stop My Bins Blowing Over?

Dear Lifehacker, My partner and I have just bought our first house and it is at the top of a hill. It’s constantly windy outside which makes bin night quite a challenge. How can I stop the bins from blowing over on bin night without weighing them down so much that we get in trouble for excess garbage? Thanks, Garbage In Garbage Out

[credit provider=”Gene Hunt, Flickr” url=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/raver_mikey/8231555440/sizes/h/in/photostream/”]

Dear GIGO,

As far as I’m aware, there are no weight restrictions in place for wheelie bins, provided it isn’t overflowing with rubbish or packed so tight it won’t empty. The obvious solution is to wait until the bin is sufficiently filled, which might mean putting it out on a fortnightly basis. (As an added bonus, this also translates to less trips up and down the hill.)

The obvious downside to this solution is the two-week smell factor. If you want to avoid wearing a peg on your nose, you’re going to need to ward against odors — try sprinkling some sesame oil or kitty litter inside your bin when it starts to stink. This will help to mask all but the foulest stench.

You could also try compacting your rubbish using the two bucket trick. This involves tossing some garbage into a large bucket, placing an identical bucket on top and sitting down on it to compress the contents. You’ll be able to fit a lot more garbage into your wheelie bin this way, which will make it heavier and sturdier on windy nights.

As a final tip, when collecting your bins from the bottom of the hill, try inserting your recycling bin inside the general waste bin (most recycling bins are narrower and shorter). This will save you from having to make two separate trips!

If any of our readers have additional suggestions, let GIGO know in the comment section below.

Got your own question you want to put to Lifehacker? Send it using our [contact text=”contact form”].


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

Here are the cheapest plans available for Australia’s most popular NBN speed tier.

At Lifehacker, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Comments


12 responses to “Ask LH: How Can I Stop My Bins Blowing Over?”