During a drought, which is more important?

[Betadelta]

If you normally rinse your plastic waste before recycling it, do you still do this during a drought? Or is it more important to conserve water? Just wondering if anyone knows as I'm not sure which to prioritise.

I use grey water for this, if the waste isn't clean it can't be recycled.

I've put a bucket in the shower not to stand in, but to collect as much water as possible. And any cleanish washing up water gets saved, along with any water emptied from bottles, any water I'm using to rinse a mug etc.

Keep a bowl full of water outside the back door. Use it to rinse recycling, plates for the dishwasher etc. When it gets too murky use it to water plants and refill.

Although I have a dishwasher, I still have to do a bowl of washing-up most days for things that don't go in the dishwasher - wooden spoons, chef's knives, water bottles, lunch boxes, wine glasses etc. Once I've finished these things, I wash my recycling, using the same washing-up water, so it doesn't use any additional water.

I also empty water bottles and drinking glasses into a bucket in the kitchen (rather than down the sink) and use this water for watering the plants (admittedly, it only contributes a small portion of the water I use for plants, but still - every little helps!).

Just do it with the washing up

I can’t believe people give any thought to this. Just rinse as normal

I do the same as @ASingleDayOnVenus .

I have no idea.. but was having a similar query when it came to running the hot water tap, that wastes loads of water whilst it comes up to temperature (I do catch some of it in the kettle), or turn on the pre-heat for the water on the boiler?

Water is expensive. I never wash the rubbish.

I leave recycling stuff out in the sink so it collects water from hand washing etc. Always used to do it to save a bit on water bill

I used to wash it before I spoke to someone who work in recycling and they told me there is no need as its washed at a billion degrees at the recycling plant.

@Additup Same DS mate worked a summer at a recycling plant.

I dont wash it

Our council say you don't need to rinse as long as the things, are completely empty, so that it doesn't make collecting it an unpleasant task. We always rinse it at the end of the washing up though as we have a box under the sink that we use to store the recyclable stuff to save going out to the bin every day (we have a mixed recyclables collection)

I just rinse in grey water, I always have drought or no drought then the grey water goes on the veg plants in the garden.

We put them in the dishwasher as it's going to be run anyway.

Any sink run off waiting for hot water, or grey water, goes on the garden.

@Reapingintotheblye - I have a 10l bucket which I put in the shower to catch the water whilst it heats up (turn heat up to max so it takes less water to get to temperature). I empty that into a water butt in the garden. Do the same when running the tap for washing up. The water is clean so won't harm the plants and is OK for storing (unlike grey water which can get bugs growing in it if stored for more than a day apparently).

I rinse my recycling in the washing up water, so I am not using any extra water. I wash up yogurt pots, cans, jars etc when everything else is washed.