weeklywaste Forum

Doretta · Administrator Joined: 13 Sep 2006 Posts: 173

Mould, Bacillus Cereus, Enterobacteriacae, E-coli, Listeria, Clostridium, Pseudomona all increase in the 2nd week.

The experiment method was to place 22 common household waste items - including raw and cooked chicken, vegetable peel, takeaway left-overs, salad, eggs and seafood - in a wheeled bin. This bin was stored at a temperature to mimic normal summer weather. Tests were carried out after 7 days and then again after 14 days.

Results:

Clostridium - after a week, 1 item infected. After 2 weeks, 13 items infected. This is the same family as C-Diff, tetanus and botulism. Induces vomiting, diarrhoea and fever. Spores in open wounds cause gangrene and even death.

Listeria - after a week. 0 items. After 2 weeks, 6 items. Can cause miscarriage.

Campylobacter - after a week, 0 items. After 2 weeks, 3 items. Most common cause of gastroenteritis. Kills 1 in a 1000.

E-coli - after 1 week, after 2 weeks, 3 items. This is a crippling stomach bug and can prove fatal to children, the elderly and the sick.

Other organisms also flourished in the 2nd week. Enterobacteriaceae, a group of common stomach bugs, increases up to 100,000-fold.

Vomiting bug bacillus cereus went up 5-fold.

Pseudomona, which causes serious chest infections, grew 28-fold. A big increase was recorded in dangerous mould , which can cause fatal lung disease aspergillius.

The lab expert added "It's clear many of the pathogens capable of causing human diseases are significantly increased over 14 days as compared to a week. Any tearing of packaging or handling of the food could allow them to spread, causing a very real public health risk."

Thanks to the News of the World for carrying out this investigation. The results come as no surprise. For all those trying to fit a fortnights' waste into their general bins by rearranging bags within it, or indeed jumping up and down on the contents (personally witnessed) to enable bin lids to close, please think again.