Rubbish Bins and Food Safety
Rubbish Bins harbour a lot, and I mean A LOT, of biological contaminants. Whether these bins are in the kitchen or outside, the bacteria are there. And if left open, outside bins quickly 'gather’ pests – flies, insects, rats, birds, seagulls and so forth – and these pests then spread these germs via their beaks, their feet, their tails etc.
Did you know that a fly regurgitates enzymes on the food it eats? This is to break the food down to a more liquid state, which it can then 'slurp’ up. Wonderful, let’s add some vomit to the food we eat…
They also have lots of very fine hairs on their legs, which means they trap all sorts of stuff and bacteria on them, which they then transfer to another bit of food they eat. So, for instance, they’ve just had a bit of a taste of dog poo, hopped onto the open rubbish bin outside to have a slurp of some rotting meat, before flying into the kitchen and landing on the salad – lovely.
Rubbish bins need to be kept clean for these obvious reasons. And closed! Inside and out. Indoor bins should be openable without having to touch the lid. for instance, foot or sensor operated. That way, you don’t transfer bacteria and other contaminants from the rubbish in your hand, to the lid, and then to edible foods you’re working with. And ofcourse, you have to wash your hands every time you deal with rubbish – though this is something that is often not done…
So, what is wrong with these pictures below?
