Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Do you clean your recycling before putting in the bin?

245 replies

Frosty66612 · 21/07/2018 12:45

Bit of a boring one but do you rinse out tins and yogurt pots etc before putting them in the recycling bin, or do you just put them straight in?

OP posts:
Smoothsailing9 · 21/07/2018 12:57

I do rinse things but to save water I tend to run them under the tap while I’m waiting for the water to heat up, or swish though the washing up water at the end of washing up. This was I’m not using extra water specifically for the task.

gingercat02 · 21/07/2018 12:59

Yep swill it out when I've washed the dishes

echt · 21/07/2018 13:00

Yes, but now I find that all my re-cycling was going to landfill in China. Which they have now stopped taking. It pisses me off that so many Aussies thought we were re-cycling when all we were doing was collecting.

Still, my re-cycling bin smells nice.

TheRoadLessRocky · 21/07/2018 13:03

*I will say though that if we were on a water meter, I'd begrudge having to pay my money to clean the recycling. Fortunately our water isn't metered

It makes absolutely no difference. It either gets done at the end of a wash up or goes towards making up a full load in the dishwasher.*

It does for us. Our dishwasher is jammed full just with dishes we've couldn't fit all our recycling in too. So we have to use separate water to wash recycling. They cost irritates me a bit because we do try to be careful but I also just worry generally about wasting the water. If the load becomes contaminated by people who haven't washed it out, then I've wasted the water washing it for nothing.

In years to come will people be astounded that we used treated water to clean rubbish? I'd use the water butt water but it's not practical due to the location of the water butt.

ToadOfSadness · 21/07/2018 13:12

We rinse ours unless it is very oily. However, have no idea which plastics are meant to be recycled as packaging says it might be recyclable, but our lazy council don't provide any information other than 'plastic bottles, pots, food packaging but not flower pots and coat hangers' kind of thing. No clue as to which food packaging at all.

And shredded paper, too tiny to sort, so wasted.

icelollies · 21/07/2018 13:16

Yes, otherwise the bin smells and we only get a collection every other week!

BakedBeans47 · 21/07/2018 13:17

Yes I do but my husband doesn’t and it does my head in.

brizzledrizzle · 21/07/2018 13:17

Yes, it's all sorted by hand and I'd hate to do that job with all the filthy stuff that they have to put up with.

arranfan · 21/07/2018 13:18

Yes, we wash. Yes, I think it's a huge waste of water and detergent in some cases.

Also does anyone know if you aren’t allowed to recycle black plastic (ready meal packaging etc). My brother in law said the UK don’t currently recycle it but I can’t find anything helpful online

We don't recycle black plastic in UK but there are plans to make it feasible Hmm It's why Waitrose has pledged to stop packaging their ready meals and own label items etc. in the stuff by 2019

Crinkle77 · 21/07/2018 13:19

Our local council states that anything that has a triangle with number 1 and says pet under can be recycled as can anything with number 2 in a triangle with hdpe under it.

Bramble71 · 21/07/2018 13:19

Yes, definitely a rinse at the very least. Milk cartons etc will pong terribly if not. I do worry about taking labels off tins etc; I don't want all the recycling to end up in landfill if I've missed something.

JacquesHammer · 21/07/2018 13:19

I do stuff as I go along a lot of the time. So empty shampoo bottles etc are rinsed in the shower/bath.

Crinkle77 · 21/07/2018 13:20

Oh yes and I rinse but my in laws who we live with don"t but it drives me bonkers. It's lazy and it stinks.

SabineUndine · 21/07/2018 13:21

Recycling varies from depending on your council so check their website. PPs are right about black plastic. The machines can’t see it.

BringMeTea · 21/07/2018 13:21

Yes. Gross not to.

ADastardlyThing · 21/07/2018 13:23

No, leaflet thing we get through says we don't have to. Thankfully!

bluebeck · 21/07/2018 13:24

No. If you are going to waste water cleaning stuff for recycling you are basically offsetting any good you are trying to do.

If I have something that could possibly contaminate without cleaning - soup can, mayo jar etc, I do not recycle it. That way I am not contaminating and not wasting our most precious resource.

Crinkle77 · 21/07/2018 13:27

bluebeck you don't need to use fresh water to clean your recyclables. As others have said you just rinse them out when you have finished washing up.

claraschu · 21/07/2018 13:27

I rinse, but try not to waste water, so use one pot of water to rinse dishes for the dishwasher, and then clean the recycling in the dirty water.

Someone posted: "I will say though that if we were on a water meter, I'd begrudge having to pay my money to clean the recycling. Fortunately our water isn't metered."

I think this attitude so wrong. It is MY rubbish, and I am responsible for dealing with it! If I want to save money, water, energy, fuel, and other resources, I use less disposable stuff! I wish we were all on a water meter and there were much more regulation about garbage, more checking up on people's recycling and composting. Everyone is used to just not feeling responsible for all the crap they produce, and the planet is choking. Sad

sulflower · 21/07/2018 13:27

Absolutely, why wouldn't you? Disgusting otherwise. I prefer my recycling box not to smell.

AudiQ2 · 21/07/2018 13:27

@ArcadePixie If recycling isn't washed out, then that entire trucks worth of recycling is apparently classed as 'contaminated' and thrown into landfill!!!!

jaseyraex · 21/07/2018 13:27

Always. We have a communal recycling point at the end of the street so I tend to keep everything in the kitchen until the night before collection to save so many trips out. It would stink if I didn't rinse. I use an old bottle brush to get in the peanut butter/choc spread jars which does the trick as they're always a bit more stubborn to clean.

RoseWhiteTips · 21/07/2018 13:29

Yes of course. They go in the dishwasher.

DrinkFeckArseGirls · 21/07/2018 13:31

Yes, otherwise it attracts foxes and rats plus as all the recycling is mixed round here I don’t want the paper and cardboard to get contaminated.

arranfan · 21/07/2018 13:33

I don't understand how councils can have such different standards from one area to another.

Plus, I know this is another part of recycling but I wish they'd all get together with the water boards that have huge problems with fatbergs and similar and agree on how we handle cooking fat/oil/grease (FOG).

There are chemicals that can set oil to make it easier to put in with non-recyclables. Other councils want all cooking FOG recycled in the recycle facility tho' not everyone can get there.

None of us should be putting FOG down drains but I'd like clarity on the best way of handling it. And what to do with greasy paper/kitchen towel etc. (apparently, shouldn't go in the council compost bins nor our own). [/grumble]