Numerous people have responded to your articles about maggots in their bins; we also suffered the same infestation two weeks ago. There appears to be some concern about cleanliness but this is immaterial. The maggot inquestions are mainly the larvae of blowfly, what we normally call bluebottles, who lay their eggs on dead meat. The eggs hatch in around 8-24 hours but normally go through several stages of development that take, depending on the temperature, between 6-11 days. They then migrate, looking for somewhere to burrow into the ground where they pupate, emerging as adults about 7-14 days later. The critical factor regarding bin emptying is the larval stage. Previously, with weekly collections, any investation was removed before the larvae started to migrate; now with fortnightly collections, there is every chance they will reach this stage before the bin is emptied, especially in the summer when higher temperatures shorten the larval process. Maybe a case for thinking about weekly collections in the summer?

I agree with smeads... weekly collections during the peak warmer time is a necessity.

Why can't we have our green (all other waste) bins collected weekly, and our grey (recycling) bins collection moved to altenate with the brown (garden) bins.

I too have suffered this problem, but my bin was brand new after having it replaced, even being very careful to double-bag rotten meat, and ensuring everything else was bagged (i.e. hoover waste), in less than a month my bin was crawling with maggots.

Being over 7 months pregnant, getting out there and cleaing with strong chemicals is not advisable to me, also lifting the bin around to empty the cleaning fluids is not physically possible. but it had to be done somehow.

I have tried to re-examine the position of my bin, but the only place which does not get any sun throughout the day is right next to my back door and i'm not prepared to put it there... the flies in the kitchen whilst cooking is numerous and becoming a health problem in itself!

If this treatment was occuring in a workplace, we'd be out on strike... Something needs to be changed to prevent this problem happening on this scale.

BRING BACK WEEKLY COLLECTIONS

Or the council-tax-payer will eventually stop paying a proportion of their bill!!!!!!!!!

I suspect I am within my rights to do so... does anyone have any legal advice regarding this? What can we do to force the Council to amend its scheme?

I agree that we need weekly bin collections back. The amount of flies and maggots that are about this year is disgusting. I have resorted to double bagging all my rubbish and actively seek out carrier bags to do so. Surely after the Council urging us all to recycle and think green this defeats the object! I am so fed up of smelly bins and maggots. I cant leave any of the windows open more than a crack or I end up with flies in the house. What are we supposed to do? I've read up on all the 'useful' advice thats been given out but to be honest its not helped at all. Its a wonder that the local hospitals aren't full with people ill with D&V bugs. These maggots and flies are a health hazzard, any fool knows that flies spread disease and the resulting illnesses will probably be blamed on it being BBQ season.
Having worked in the Catering trade for most of my life I cannot understand why this is left to go on. If an inspector from Environmental Health were to call and see a wheelie bin in a workplace in the condition that most of the general publics are in then I bet they would shut the business down!!! I for one would be happy to pay a little more Council Tax to have my bin emptied weekly.

Come on Wirral Borough Council pull your finger out!!!!!!

Some pertinent points made, but will the Borough Council respond? Ha!

I live in a hot country and we always put our food scraps in a plastic bag place in the freezer which then goes into the rubbish on the day of collection,weekly. Hope this is of help to you.

Well Blow me, I woke up this morning to find that my Maggots had been infested with green Bins!!, what are the Council going to do about that!.

maggots ive had them on and off for the last year roughly, i always clean the bin when i get them and the advice from the council doesnt work and surely if we double wrap bags wont that take longer for the bags to disintergrate at the tip?.A lot of people may not know the have them because the maggots hide until late at night i normally see them at about midnight.the way maggots normally work is they leave the place they were laid after about 7-10 days and look for a dry place so they can change into into a hardish brown shell and they then turn into flies.So when we used to have a weekly collection they would not be ready to leave the bin as it wouldnt be long enough,our collection day is friday and the first time i noticed them was the friday that they collected the grey bin bit of a coincidence ? the only thing i have found that kills the maggots is boiled water or squashing them.A possible solution maybe if the bins had a seal or clip on them so the lid is sealed tightly or obviosly go back to a weekly collection
tracy

me and my mum have been invaded by these little monsters for the past 3 nights, we nearly fainted when we saw them, they had made there way into the kitchen as well, they have scared us so much we have been using hot water and a hose pipe well into the early hours. Today my mum bought some very thick pine gel floor cleaner from a local hard-ware shop and that seams to help

every 12 days like clockwork the little pests are back when will the council change back to weekly bin emptying and end the maggots once and for all...!!!

The trouble is, though, we have become too lethargic and apathetic to DO something about it.We enable and even encourage it, therefore The council is like a naughty child.....it NEEDS telling whats right and whats wrong. In no uncertain terms, if need be. Writing to newspapers might make pwople feel better, but it sure dont make the situation any better
There are even councils waiting to bring in a fixed panalty system if we DARE put the wrong type of rubbish in our bins. This is with NO recourse. No innocent til proven guilty. You dont even get a chance to state your case in court, even. There is the NEXT step in the process of controling us
In a few weeks time i shall be getting on a plane and looking at other options in the world to spend my time. I advise others to do the same if they can and leave this sceptic isle to its own devices

Egremont

The council won't reverse their desision of fortnightly collections because if 'our' maggots are evolving into flies before they go into the bin-wagon, then they don't get them on their waste disposal site... solving 'their' fly problem!!!

Nice idea by clifford in australia but not very practical... my freezer is for food prepared to be eaten, I can't see my hubby being too impressed when he defrosts an old chicken carcass for tomorrow night's tea!!!

to 'egremont, Wallasey'... I'm quite prepared to do something.... but 'WHAT' is the question.

Comments made by a reader in this weeks 'letters' page stated that maggots enjoy the warm moist areas... so to ensure your bin is dry, and he also suggested ant powder.

Someone else had suggested that they never suffered with maggots when their bin was left generally grubby/dirty, but occurred when they started having it cleaned... he suggested it could be the flies like to lay their eggs in a sterile location.

IMO either of these could be true as before my bin was replaced with new bin, my hoover would be emptied direct, making the bin a dry and a non-sterile area.

Many people over the past 12 months have suggested remedies and solutions to the physical problem, but now it is a political problem.

What can be done to resolve it? Petitions? writing to MP? Refusing to pay taxes? anyone with a legal background know which road we can and should take?