Most Aussies will be familiar with the “downright disgusting” scene of maggots covering the red bin. Food scraps and hot weather create a perfect storm for attracting flies and encouraging egg hatching.

And with just days until summer kicks off, residents have been urged to do one simple thing to avoid the “gross” bin problem prevalent across the country.

The advice comes after a Sunshine Coast resident showed firsthand how horrendous the problem is, filming a wheelie bin that had “maggots dripping off it”.

“That’s a Queensland bin for ya,” he joked, but it’s an issue replicated everywhere around the country.

Paul, from Moreton Bay Clean Bins, told Yahoo News it’s “an everyday occurrence” for millions of Aussies to have maggots on their bins. He often has to step in to deal with the issue as it’s “pretty rife” in Queensland.

“You can get bins that’re chockablock with them all over, or dead at the bottom, lying in their own fluids. It’s pretty gross,” he told Yahoo.

“A winter’s day is 27 degrees here, summer is anywhere between 40 degrees… It’s the heat that does it. It attracts flies, and they hatch their larvae.”

Do you have a story about disgusting bin finds? Contact sophie.coghill@yahooinc.com

How can Aussies avoid getting maggots on their bins?

So what can be done? Paul explained that rotting meat is largely to blame for attracting flies and maggots, and there’s a simple trick to stopping it.

“The best thing to do is to freeze your meat products the night before and put them in the bin,” he said.

Any type of meat and seafood, as well as pet faeces, will attract unwelcome pests to bins, and while he doesn’t recommend popping your dog poo in the freezer, putting your food scraps into the freezer before dumping them in the bin will save you a problem later.

Rinsing your bin every week to avoid bin juice building up is helpful, and regularly cleaning your bins in general will go a long way to avoid maggots.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

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