Calgary Homeowners using Green Waste Bins Startled by Maggots

Many of the citizens of Calgary were looking forward to finally using green bins to properly dispose of their organic material. Unfortunately, most of them weren’t expecting to find that those short, stubby, wriggling white maggots we love to hate had found a home in their partially-filled bins.

Maggots often flock to green waste bins that contain a large amount of animal waste products, like chicken bones, meat scraps, egg shells, and bacon grease to feast on the nourishment they provide to small insects. The group often starts off small and grows either when the animal material sits there for a long period of time or when more animal material is added.

Another component of an ideal maggot breeding ground is warm weather, and Calgary recently had a short but intense heat wave, making the green bin maggot problem more common in the area. Though most residents still approve of the use of green bins, many agree that finding a safe way to keep their bins free of maggots is worth the effort.

During the city’s five-year green bin pilot program, there were over 300 complaints related to the presence of maggots in the mini bins. Although the complaints were numerous and understandable, the city chose not to warn residents about maggots due to the low likelihood of them showing up in most green bins. Taking into account that the program was five years long, complaints about maggots were not submitted very frequently.

Not only is there a low chance of maggots turning up in unmonitored green bins, but there’s also the special design of compostable waste collection bags that keep maggot-producing flies out of the organic waste inside them. If you’re worried about maggots in your own green bin, consider wrapping animal products in old newspaper and disposing of them as close to collection day as possible.

Experts agree that maggots pose no health hazards to humans and are found in decomposing organic material everywhere, but that doesn’t change the fact that discovering them so close to your home can be nauseating. In three weeks’ time, those maggots will be adult flies and will likely leave your home permanently.

Even though they’re technically harmless, no one enjoys seeing maggots every time they open their green bin. Take the proper waste management precautions and you won’t have to worry about those wormy little insects being a bother to you or your waste disposal efforts.