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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:
Nanny0gg · 21/07/2018 16:38

I don't know anyone who doesn't wash their recycling. Ours goes in clear bags (which stay in a bin in my kitchen till they're full) not wheelie bins.

So they need to be washed. It really isn't a big deal as it's done after the washing up

JacquesHammer · 21/07/2018 16:38

Especially with all those filthy recyclables that @JacquesHammer puts in there, full of crap and bits, all going mouldy and sour and festering in the dishwasher for a week!

Oh bless you.

If I have stuff that needs instantly washing, it’ll make up a full load. Otherwise things that need rinsing that won’t smell - handsoap, water bottles, fruit punnets will wait.

Rather sweet of you to take such an interest

Original poster
Frosty66612 · 21/07/2018 16:38

Surely the heat that the dishwasher gets up to would annihilate all the mouldy germs though

OP posts:
RoseWhiteTips · 21/07/2018 16:38

LavendarGreen

Oh now be fair. She assures is it doesn’t smell in the slightest. Lol🤢

Oldraver · 21/07/2018 16:39

Lavendar..I live in West Oxfordshire and cardboard goes in the same bin as everything else.

I didnt know about black trays so just looked on our council website and they say...

.....We do collect black plastic trays in your recycling and the facility it is sent to will do their best to recycle it. This is not alwayas possible due to the way plastics are sorted from other items. Reducing your black plastic is the best option, manufacturers are also looking into reducing black plastic products....

I will try and look for non black trays now. I wondered why Morrisons had changed the meat packaging

ADastardlyThing · 21/07/2018 16:39

Why bother recycling if you're going to use the dishwasher more than needed, wasting water and electricity?

Very jealous of one wash up for dishes AND clothes Envy twice a day and 4 times a week here :(

RoseWhiteTips · 21/07/2018 16:39

My point is that you have festering stuff in your dishwasher. THAT I could not live with.

arranfan · 21/07/2018 16:41

I only have one recycling bin to for cardboard, tins, glass etc.

We used to have to sort the recycling but now the bins are:
food waste;
recyclables (paper, cardboard, glass, plastics, foil etc.);
non-recyclables.

In my area, we need to remove windows from envelopes and packing tape/sellotape from cardboard. What do other councils do?

We remove film from milk bottles because the film isn't recyclable but we often see that other people's leave theirs on - tbh, this is something on which my local council isn't clear but the label information clearly states the film can not be recycled.

pennycarbonara · 21/07/2018 16:41

What council is THAT then that makes everyone chuck in tins and bottles and plastics, with cardboard??? I have never heard of anyone doing that before...

Mixed recycling collections are not uncommon. I've lived in 3 different council areas that do that.

Although it may be phased out as the Chinese ban on importing some other countries' recycling is likely to force councils to make recycling batches higher quality.

I'm staggered that so many councils still use plastic bag collections. I I've never lived in one of those areas but have lived near and visited them so I know they are fairly common.

redastherose · 21/07/2018 16:41

Yes a quick rinse otherwise it's minging by the time it's collected and who wants to have to sort recycling when it's rancid. I wouldn't want to leave that for the people who collect it.

RoseWhiteTips · 21/07/2018 16:42

”Rather sweet...”!! (Said through gritted teeth?)

JacquesHammer · 21/07/2018 16:43

Morrisons are also doing away with plastic bags for fruit/veg and bringing back paper only.

Rose - dry stuff doesn’t fester. Plates that have been used for toast or sandwiches etc. Then whatever we have for dinner - as I said earlier if the dishwasher isn’t full and ready to go I will wash stuff that might.

RoseWhiteTips · 21/07/2018 16:44

Oh dear

JacquesHammer · 21/07/2018 16:45

Said through gritted teeth?

Nah. Believe me it would take more than someone on the internet to get me irate. Maybe it’s the hippy in me Grin

JacquesHammer · 21/07/2018 16:48

Although it may be phased out as the Chinese ban on importing some other countries' recycling is likely to force councils to make recycling batches higher quality

I was really surprised when it changed here. We used to have a glass/Tins bin (or an insert for your grey bin) and then a bin for paper/card then it was all altered.

It was timed to coincide with fortnightly bin collections being introduced

pennycarbonara · 21/07/2018 16:51

@Jacques Introduced in quite a lot of areas because it increased recycling rates for official statistics and was less confusing for residents

JacquesHammer · 21/07/2018 16:54

@pennycarbonara

Ah that’s interesting thanks. I suspect a return to separate bins would reduce recycling again which is a massive concern.

pennycarbonara · 21/07/2018 17:00

@arran There are now national guidelines for recycling, part of a programme to work towards making things more consistent across the country: www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Recycling%20guidelines%201.8.pdf

But because the council schemes are operated by so many different companies which have plants of differing ages and technologies, they won't apply everywhere just now.

I stopped tearing envelope windows out about 6 years ago (it was a habit that started in the days of taking bags of stuff to communal recycling banks, before kerbside collections) but it might have been earlier that I could have. I didn't notice instructions saying they could be left in until then.

JacquesHammer · 21/07/2018 17:04

There are now national guidelines for recycling, part of a programme to work towards making things more consistent across the country

I really wish they would. I’d really like to have a food waste recycling scheme here.

glintandglide · 21/07/2018 17:04

I don’t rinse and think there is a huge amount of bullshit on this thread. If you couldn’t recycle dirty packaging the council would have to instruct you to clean and inspect every ite,
And it makes no sense that some councils r3cycling would be devastated by lack of cleaning and others have no problem

pennycarbonara · 21/07/2018 17:09

glint The differences between areas are because council recycling schemes are run by different companies which have plants of different ages and specifications. The technology used isn't all the same.
Councils can also get a better price for cleaner batches of recyclables and some may be aiming higher in that respect.

glintandglide · 21/07/2018 17:22

But it can’t possibly work- anywhere in the country- if recycling has to be sparkinling clean. People simply don’t do it, so the whole process is a spectacular waste of money and time

Original poster
Frosty66612 · 21/07/2018 17:28

Can foil products be recycled? Just saw that a PP mentioned them in a list of recyclables. I always put things like the cat’s foil pouches of cat food in the normal bin

OP posts:
pennycarbonara · 21/07/2018 17:30

Foil pouches are different materials from rolls of kitchen foil. They are mentioned in that WRAP document I linked above. It's quite long but you can use Find to locate words. Your council ought to mention it too

Original poster
Frosty66612 · 21/07/2018 17:32

@penny thanks, i’ll Check it out and i’ll Also check my council’s web page as seems like they are all very different with rules

OP posts: