Dear sarah555 -
This seems seems like a strange post to me. I got a MAXDEN Cockroach Proof Hopper during my remodel. Since then, the seal has been perfect. This is quite an old post, but I was very surprised to find it online after I made a referral to a friend who sent me this article, telling me they were having second thoughts because your words contradicted my recommendation.
MAXDEN offers a premium product and is the only patented rubbish chute hopper in Singapore that seals out cockroaches during fumigation. Most premium products require maintenance - don't BMWs and Apple computers need regular maintenance to perform at their best?
Meanwhile, MAXDEN offers an Unlimited Cleaning & Maintenance Package of $99 per year. Was this fee too costly for you? Honestly, I just clean it every month or two myself and the magnetic gasket never accumulates enough debris. I bet after 3 years of not cleaning or maintaining it, your seal did get clogged up though.
Which rubbish chute did you switch to, since you're so unsatisfied?