To not wash out recyclable containers??

[DisgruntledGoat]

I think it's totally unnecessary to blast containers with water that are going to be cleaned and recycled anyway. My DH sometimes puts them through the dishwasher which drives me nuts. They flip the right way up and fill with dirty water and when you pull the rack out they spill water everywhere covering the clean stuff with the dirty water that's trapped inside. Plus you wouldn't wash out non recyclables to put them in the general bin?! AIBU or does anyone else put dirty recyclables straight into their recycling bins?

Doreen seems to think a job in waste recycling is demeaning - shame. There's nothing rancid in my bins, anything that has been contaminated by raw meat etc goes into my general waste bin, it's a health hazard otherwise.

I'm struggling to imagine a scenario where a rinsed out meat container, chucked in with the weekly recycling, would maim or kill someone. Wouldn't it be more 'dangerous' to leave it contaminated and send it to landfill?

And to wash them just so it makes it more pleasant for the people who have to sort by hand seems a bit precious - wear some thick marigolds?!

I agree it's not going to be a pleasant job and thank god there's people who can do these sort of jobs, but you must know that rubbish is going to smell when you go into this line.

You sound like one of those thick teenagers who throws their rubbish on the floor because "the cleaners are paid to clear it up anyway".

"Marmite jars are easy to clean - kitchen roll in to wipe off majority of dregs, very hot/ boiling water then pour down the sink."

Genuine question, is a marmite jar worth the kitchen roll and hot water?

I rinse out things like milk cartons and tins of dog food - but not almost empty bottles eg shampoo, tomato sauce

We put glass jars in the dishwasher, but that's because we often reuse them so they don't always make it to the recycling box. Ditto sturdy 1kg yogurt tubs.

Tins usually get a quick swill under the tap immediately after use (unless it's DH, in which case they sit by the sink waiting to become clean by some process of osmosis )

I always rinse, really how difficult is it?! I'm on a water meter too and I still rinse, it doesn't use much water

I didn't realise so many people are lazy fuckers or bloody tight don't rinse

If meat comes in a pack that can be recycled,.. then it should be recycled.

I give a quick swoosh in the bowl at the end of washing up with most recycling. Dh cleans out the peanut butter jars with a spoon and eats it all, they look like they've been washed.
Our recycling is collected weekly.

StealthPolarBear It is worth it for me.

I don't boil the kettle - our tap water can run very hot, so I use that. I admit I get through a lot of kitchen roll. But kitchen roll is from trees, so I think I can justify it.

I always give a quick rinse as I'm worried about the dog/pests getting to recycling box.

I meant objectively. I'd love to know if the use of kitchen roll and hot water can be justified.
I was stuff like milk cartons, orange juice, bean tins in the leftover wAshin up water. I don't wash peanut butter jars, oil jars, etc because imo the energy needed to clean them sufficiently would counteract the 'value' of the final recycled product. I could well be wrong though.

Just had a memory that we used to rinse out milk bottles in the days of milkmen ...

But that was re- use not re- cycling. AIUI most glass for recycling is simply crushed and used to surface roads.

Imagine how much more kind it would be to the environment (plus the employment prospects) if we could introduce a deposit system for glassware (again) ? Not everything old was crap.

I am at the idea of dishwashing the recycling.

I always rinse ours out as don't fancy attracting flies.

I rinse but if something is going to take a long time to clean it doesn't get recycled. Life's too short. My recycling boxes are always full long before my general bin in any case.

We have a milkman and yes you rinse the bottles, but then that is an awful lot quicker than the peanut butter jar.

Stealth I've pondered this and I really don't know. I know what you mean.

No surprise that in a family of 4 who all love and eat peanut butter (glass jar) I am the only one who can be arsed to deal with it..!

I don't wash peanut butter jars, oil jars, etc because imo the energy needed to clean them sufficiently would counteract the 'value' of the final recycled product. I could well be wrong though.

If you google a bit, you'll find you probably are. (So was I, until I did some reading).

Overall the resources saved in not needing to re-create the raw packaging easily offsets the energy/water used in rinsing.

My lodger is very good at reuse. She even cuts empty fruit juice cartons in half and uses them as plant pots.

marmite jars- when you are next making soup/stew, put a small amount of boiling water in the jar, screw on the lid, wait a minute, swill it round and pour into the pot for tasty deliciousness. Although I don't think a bit of marmite would do any harm anyway, too salty to go off!

I still have things that can't go in the dishwasher, so when I've washed them I wash any recycling.
It's not hard, it's not wasteful and it takes very little time.
And like most, I'm on a water meter.

I'm amazed that people dishwasher their recycling, MN is an eye opener... I swish mine around in the washing up bowl at the end.

I'm amazed that people dishwasher their recycling, MN is an eye opener...

You wait until the threads about "what to wear with what" for the gardening, and "how many outfits do you have for doing the hoovering ?" start ....

Ours is collected weekly in a bag of mixed recycling and I always rinse and dry. The council requests it is rinsed and it's just considerate to everyone that will be handling it, surely?

I really can't imagine having a box full of unrinsed containers sitting for 2 weeks. Our council asks you to rinse them - it takes a second or two for most stuff. Anything else - fill with water and leave before giving a rinse.

I put jars in the dishwasher and then decide if I'm going to reuse for jam or not depending on whether the label gunk has come off.

It just seems kind of skanky not to rinse stuff.