Why You Should Be Careful When Discarding The Aluminum Foil You Use On Your Grill

When you're enjoying your backyard and grilling this summer, you may not be giving too much consideration to how you're cleaning up. Though it may seem as simple as tossing your trash in your outdoor garbage and walking away, this could cause problems. Throwing away aluminum foil that has food residue or even a strong smell of food without securing it is a mistake you should avoid making. Because the foil smells like the delicious burgers, chicken, and vegetables you've been grilling and probably has bits of the food stuck to it, you could attract animals to your garbage.

Not only could improperly discarding the used foil cause wildlife to pilfer through your trash, but these animals might end up eating it. Birds, raccoons, and other wildlife may ingest pieces of the foil as they're rummaging for a meal. This can have devastating effects on their gastrointestinal systems, and may also prove fatal for the poor creatures. To keep critters out of your trash cans and protect your local wildlife, you'll want to make sure you're disposing of the aluminum foil from your grill in a safe way by securing your garbage.

One of the main reasons animals will go after inedible objects like aluminum foil is due to the smell. Rather than simply tossing your used, dirty foil directly into your outdoor trash, make sure you bag it and consider double bagging it. This should help to lessen the scents attracting the animals, making the dangerous foil less noticeable to wildlife. Rinsing the debris off the foil with water can also be helpful.

More importantly, you should ensure that animals cannot easily break into your trash can. If you have an older garbage bin that's weaker plastic, you might want to replace it with one that's sturdier, harder to chew through, and has a locking lid. Alternatively, you could try securing the lid with bungee cords or by placing heavy objects, like rocks or bricks, on top of the lid to make it more difficult to open. The harder it is to get into your trash, the less likely the animals are to eat the aluminum foil you used on your grill. If you have continual trouble with animals eating your trash, you could try building a stylish DIY trash can shelter to help keep pests away or contact a professional for help.