Shoutout to the coffee can method for apartment composting

Last month I left my countertop bin under the sink without a lid and came home to fruit flies swarming, so I moved everything into an old 2-pound coffee can with a tight snap lid and zero smells now, has anyone else had a sudden critter invasion from a forgotten bin?

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parkerh383mo ago

Wait, you didn't have a lid on it at all? That's a bold move. I switched to a coffee can too after my old plastic bin got maggots one summer. It was disgusting, straight up nightmare fuel. The snap lid is a game changer though, no flies and no smell at all. I'd never go back to open bins after that.

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the_sean3mo ago

Wait, did you actually see the maggots or just find the bin after they'd already done their damage? I read somewhere that coffee grounds actually attract certain bugs if you let them sit too long without a lid, which is wild because I always thought they were supposed to repel pests. But man, maggots are no joke. I had a similar thing happen with a compost pile I tried to keep in my backyard, but it got so bad I just gave up on it entirely. Now I keep my coffee can lid snapped shut tight and I've never had a problem with flies or smell either. It's honestly such a simple fix once you realize how bad open bins can get.

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