Compostable liners are designed to break down with moisture. The more wet your food scraps, the quicker it degrades. Typically a liner lasts between two and four days. You get 225 liners courtesy of the City each year, so you can empty your caddy every two days and still have some leftover.
In storage, packs of liners can reach their end-of-life within a few months. We recommend you collect one pack at a time and store them in a cool, dry place to make them last. A well-stored pack can last six months or more.
City of Melville residents can purchase extra packs of compostable liners from our
Civic Centre. Proof of residence is required.
For $4.50, you can purchase:
One (1) 75-pack of 8L liners per day; or
- Three (3) 20-packs of 40 litre liners per day.
No cash sales, EFTPOS transactions only.
You can also buy compostable liners from most major supermarkets or online.
Please note: compostable and biodigradable are not the same. Only buy compostable liners that display the Certified Australian Standard logos pictured below (Compostable - AS4736; Home Compostable - AS5810). Biodegradable liners still contian plastic (they just break down into microplastics).
If you intend on using liners, you must use a certified compostable liner. However, you're free to use no liner at all (we actually prefer it!). Just throw your food scraps in loose and give your caddy a quick clean every week or two.
A small number of bugs in your kitchen caddy is not uncommon after a few days. If they're getting out of control:
- Empty your caddy regularly, at least every 4 days
- Wet food scraps (e.g. coffee grinds, soups, sauces) will lead to maggots and flies much faster. Throw wet compost directly into your large FOGO bin or balance the moisture of your kitchen caddy with more dry, absorbent food scraps (e.g. flour, bread).
- Clean your kitchen caddy with dish soap and let it fully dry after every 1-2 uses