In the last month I have managed to lose the bag ring from the small bin. I didn't exactly lose it. It was a sleety evening and I was emptying the food wate into the outside food bin. The inside bin was a bit full, and I knew if I took the compostable bag out, it would split... so I carried the whole bin outside, and emptied it into the bigger food recycling bin.
I came in, washed the bin out, and put it upside down on the draining board to air and dry.
The next morning, DH put the bin back together and asked me where the bag ring was. I knew at once. It had obviously gone into the bigger food bin, along with the food and the compostable liner.
Unfortunately, the bin men had bin in the meantime.
No response from the company about how to obtain a replacement.
....
And a few days ago I took the lid off the bigger bin, in the usual manner. The lid flipped open, I picked it up and pulled the lid off. Except it came off. Right off. I 'fessed up to DH. It was broken. Truly broken. A tiny piece of plastic had come off and wasn't fixable or replaceable. We needed a whole new lid.
This particular bin had bin horrendously expensive and I could see that, even if I got a reply from the supplying company - which seemed unlikely given their past form - a substantial part of the cost was the lid.
I decided it would have to wait until next month.
We put the lid back on, but it was a nuisance. We left the lid off. It was worse.
By a stroke of luck, Costco were selling cheap autobins (completely different shape, mechanism, size), and I decided to get one while they had them in stock. They were much cheaper than I expected
It works really well. The lid is a bit flappy, but the sensor is great. It also senses that you are standing there and doesn't slap the lid down just as you are pouring rubbish in.
So that worked out OK then!
