# how do you deal with "wet" trash?



## anoop

I am asking this question because my trash can smells really bad.

I live alone and a few years ago, everything -- be it paper, cardboard boxes, junk mail, plastic bottles, vegetable peels, all went into the same trash can. (My city claims that it sorts through the trash to do recycling, so that's why I thought it's OK to have the plastic and glass mixed in.)  However, with this approach, the bags were sometimes getting punctured and it would create a mess with the trash can and cause problems with taking the trash out.

So I switched to a different model.  Plastic bottles, glass jars, etc. now all get their own bag.  Paper, cardboard boxes, and any other "dry" trash get their own bag.  Everything else goes into the tall trash can (lined with a tall garbage bag, of course) -- vegetable peels, wet paper towels after a cleanup, etc.  There's not a lot of the last category.  I can go a week or longer before it needs to be taken out.  But this causes a problem.  It causes the can to give off bad odors which are specially noticeable when I take the trash out.

What is the solution to this?  I can see several possibilities:

- Switch to a smaller trash can or stay with the same, but take the trash out daily.

- Put things like vegetable peels, fruit skins (like oranges...they are the worst because they form condensation on the lid of the trash can), in a small bag and then toss the smaller one into the trash can.

- Try composting. I'm not sure I care to do this, though.

I'm thinking the first option is probably my best bet where I take the trash out every night (or couple of nights), but I think it will increase my consumption of garbage bags quite significantly.

So how do you guys handle this problem?

Thanks.


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## dreamshards8

I would definitely switch to a small trash can. I take out my trash every day or every other day. Of course I have two other people living in my home but usually if I leave food waste overnight it starts smelling horrible the next day. There are also smaller trash containers that are very well sealed and are automatic (just wave your hand across the sensor) and these lock in a lot of the oders. Also, don't go cheap on buying trash bags. I like to buy the heavy duty black ones and my boyfriend buys the cheapest thin white kind and I can tell the difference. You could still keep your tall trash can but the best bet is to take your trash out more often, and you don't want to keep wasting large trash bags. Hope that helps.


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## kaneohegirlinaz

Part of my own recycling effort is reusing zip top bags.

All of that "wet kitchen trash" goes into those bags and then in to the freezer until our once a week community trash pick up.

No fuss, no muss, and mostly, no smell... it can get pretty brutal here in the middle of the desert, our garage an easily reach well over 100º in the summer


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## anoop

I use Glad ForceFlex bags which I think are among the best per consumer reports.

I think I will just try taking the trash out daily for a week or so and if that works, I will switch to a smaller trash can.

I don't own a home so for now the idea of freezing the trash till pick up day isn't needed, but it is an interesting one if I should ever become a home owner, since that would help keep odors out of the big trash can too.


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