What to do with smelly trash in the city?

September 15, 2007 4:21 PM

City-living n00b: what do I do with smelly trash on the weekends?

I just moved to a new apartment in a walk-up in Boston; to this point, I've always lived in a house (growing up), a dormitory (college), or a large managed apartment building (since college). All of these have had either a trash room or a garage where smelly trash can go until trash day.

Fast forward to now, where trash days are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Due to strict neighborhood codes, my trash can't be out on the sidewalk until late evening before a trash day. Unthinkingly, I made dinner with chicken last night and threw the scraps into the trash. Now I have a very stinky kitchen and nowhere to get rid of the trash.

What do city dwellers do with smelly trash? Is there a secret I don't know about? Other than illegally throwing my trash into a public dumpster or can, do I have options? Or am I doomed to never eat chicken on a Friday night? Alternatively, any advice for defunkifying a bag of trash?

This is in Beacon Hill in Boston, if anyone local is familiar with tricks or city codes...

posted by olinerd to home & garden (21 comments total)

Put the trash can in a cabinet or get a covered bin.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 4:25 PM on September 15, 2007

Do you have a balcony? Because if so, composing is trivially easy. I mean really easy.

Barring that, freeze the food-related stuff until garbage day.
posted by loiseau at 4:25 PM on September 15, 2007

Sorry, composting.
posted by loiseau at 4:26 PM on September 15, 2007

Stick any potentially stinky food garbage in the a bag in the freezer, then put it in the trash when it's time to take out the trash.
posted by Airhen at 4:32 PM on September 15, 2007

When I have smelly (food) trash, I put it in one (or sometimes two) of the plastic grocery bags I hoard for this purpose and tie that tightly before placing it into my trash can, which is then covered. If need be, I spray Oust into the trash can ocassionally.
posted by bunnycup at 4:34 PM on September 15, 2007

Put it in a garbage bag and tie the top in a knot. Put someplace out of the way until garbage day. It's not that difficult.
posted by hungrysquirrels at 4:49 PM on September 15, 2007

Are you sure it's illegal to put it in a public trash can? I do that all the time. Small quantities...like, if I make eggs for breakfast, then I'll put the shells in a small plastic bag, and drop them in a public trash can on the way to work.

In fact, I recommend this, whether it's legal or not.
posted by bingo at 4:55 PM on September 15, 2007

Hungrysquirrels -- I have a very small apartment. It's either still in my kitchen/living room or it's in my bedroom. There is no "out of the way".

Bingo -- I always see signs that I can be fined for dumping household trash... in the future if it's just a small bag of chicken stuff, I'd probably take your advice, but for a large kitchen garbage bag I'm a little hesitant to do it.

Thanks, everyone! I'll be a little smarter next time around...
posted by olinerd at 5:41 PM on September 15, 2007

A variation on some of the above for the really odiferous stuff: Before using a plastic grocery bag, first blow air into it, hold the top closed, then gently press on the "balloon" part to ensure that it is air-tight. Put in the bad stuff, tie shut with twine. In summer heat I've contained odors for up to two weeks this way.
posted by Kevin S at 7:40 PM on September 15, 2007

In the meantime, try pouring some baking soda into your trash can/wastebasket.
posted by Oriole Adams at 9:24 PM on September 15, 2007

The stink of some items can be mitigated by discouraging bacteria from getting too cozy on them. For example, the packaging from raw meat (butcher paper, foam tray, plastic wrap) can be rinsed and then sprayed with a bleach solution or white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. I keep spray bottles of vinegar and peroxide in the kitchen for this purpose, among others.

This method will obviously be less effective for actual food scraps but I suppose that making a pile of them and spritzing it with bleach or vinegar/peroxide before dumping it a plastic bag might slow the bacteria down a little bit.
posted by Orinda at 10:55 PM on September 15, 2007

I freeze mine until garbage day. That discourages the bacteria while it's in the house, and it discourages the vermin after you take it out until the truck gets there.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 12:00 AM on September 16, 2007

If it's just food scraps that are causing the problem, look into bokashi composting. It completely cuts down on smells from food.
posted by Solomon at 1:16 AM on September 16, 2007

I'm confused why it needs to stay in the kitchen? Don't americans have a trash can outside that they put their trash in until garbage day and then put the can out on the sidewalk? Do you really all take the trash can directly from the kitchen and put it on the sidewalk on trash day, like I saw on TV? This seems like an odd approach, and what happens if you have a bin in the bedroom, another in the bathroom etc?

I know this sounds ridiculous, but I really am confused on how it all works for you yanks!
posted by ranglin at 1:28 AM on September 16, 2007

ranglin, I guess it depends on where you live. Here in Seattle, we usually have an outdoor can, or if you live in an apartment, you have a Dumpster for the whole building to use.

As others have suggested, the trick is to put the stinky garbage in a little plastic bag and tie it shut so no smell can escape. Also, a lidded garbage can helps.
posted by litlnemo at 1:54 AM on September 16, 2007

Ranglin, my neighborhood is lots of 4-5 story row houses with an apartment on each floor. There's no space between or behind the buildings for a trash can or a dumpster, and the neighborhood civic council is strict about how long trash can sit outside on thie sidewalk so that vermin problems can be easily controlled. My friends who live in multifamily houses (free-standing) do indeed have an outdoor can things can be tossed into... but they live in a slightly more suburban area. Single-family houses have the same, and often a garage the trash can stay in for the week to keep it away from raccoons and rats.
posted by olinerd at 6:35 AM on September 16, 2007

We have a large covered kitchen garbage can. When it gets full/smelly - it goes into the backyard bin. The garbage is not that smelly because organics go in another little bin. When that gets full/smelly it goes outside in its own little organic bin that gets picked up weekly. But you could separate your organic/smelly stuff and dispose that as needed as suggested above?

People get trash picked up three times a week? I'm in a big city, and I get trash picked up every other week!
posted by typewriter at 8:00 AM on September 16, 2007

Honestly, you need to talk to your landlord about getting a garbage disposal. Every time I've found a new apartment, I've asked the landlord of they'd consider paying for half. They've always installed it and didn't ask for a dime.

Food smell? 99% taken care of. Just don't put anything dumb down it.
posted by onedarkride at 8:05 AM on September 16, 2007

Your apartment complex doesn't have its own dumpster? Mine has two, and is fairly small. For where I live, anyway
posted by Jacen at 10:38 PM on September 16, 2007

typewriter: "People get trash picked up three times a week? I'm in a big city, and I get trash picked up every other week! "

Hooray for compost pickup! I miss it now that I've moved back to Montreal.

I don't want to get preachy, but... Maybe this is the kind of situation that could make you think about your options to reduce the problem at its source. That's why I suggested composting. Essentially you just need to get the container and put some soil or dead leaves in it. Then when you add organic waste cover it with a layer of the leaves.

I dunno... it may seem trivial but it seems like your city is encouraging waste by picking up three times a week. When you get garbage pickup every two weeks (I've never had it more than once a week and never had a chute -- that idea is revolting) it forces you to think a little bit about how to better manage your waste and cut down on its production.
posted by loiseau at 9:03 AM on September 17, 2007

loiseau: How about worms?
posted by typewriter at 1:07 PM on September 17, 2007