To tell you that if you don't wash your recycling...

[MrsColon]

...before you put it in the recycling bin, it won't get recycled?

If you don't rinse out cans, containers, bottles etc. they will be rejected and go into landfill.

Not enough emphasis is placed on this in recycling campaigns, and in my experience, the majority of people just don't realise this.

@LSLLM

We have two bins. Each is collected on alternate weeks. Basically every 2 weeks 🤨🤨🤨🤨

I don’t understand why people can’t clean their recycling? Why wouldn’t you?!

I recycle so much in 2 days that keeping shit around my small kitchen for the other 13 isn't feasible, so excess goes to landfill. If the council took the 2k they were charging and actually suck a weekly recycling collection on or gave me a bigger bin without charging £40 for it I would recycle a lot more (and I would take that with the landfill collection staying at every 2 weeks).

@Ghoulette if you’re recycling so much in two days that it fills a bin, you need to look at reducing what you buy in the first place.

And I say that as someone whose bins are emptied once a month only.

@Pumperthepumper

And I say that as someone whose bins are emptied once a month only.

Or, maybe, my bin is too small and fortnightly collections are too little?

I don't over consume, overspend or overeat. It's literally cardboard, tins, plastics, bottle etc.

@Ghoulette but you can’t increase your bin or increase the uplift. You can only reduce your own waste, which you absolutely should be doing because you’re pumping so much into landfill.

Why would you want mucky recycling sitting in the bin for 2 weeks! It's bad enough the rubbish sitting for 2 weeks before collection.

Doesn't take long to give tins/jars/bottles/cartons a quick slosh when you've finished washing up.

It varies to be honest - some areas you don't have to have it sparkling clean.

I would rather bin something than waste a load of precious water cleaning it.

Those on water metres might argue why should they wash it beforehand

I did know things needed to be washed but only because I vaguely remember being told it at school many years ago.
We moved last year and sadly where we live there is no recycling (44 homes in our complex) apparently because the local council cannot get their recycling truck into our bit so all 44 homes just have mixed rubbish. It’s such a shame and I don’t see why we can’t have a few recycling bins and move them from the bin store to the roadside where the truck does go past to get to other houses down our road…. The mind boggles

Amazed that not everyone knew this

I totally didn’t know this, it’s really upset me because I’ve always tried to be really careful with recycling. This definitely needs to be advertised more.

We have always rinsed it, it doesn’t have to be clean enough to eat from but does need to be clean. I wouldn’t want dirty tins etc in our open topped bins for two weeks if they weren’t clean. We either put in dishwasher or throw in the washing up bowl after we’ve washed up so we don’t use extra water for it.

@waternfire

Those on water metres might argue why should they wash it beforehand

You don’t need to use fresh water to do it. Use the washing up water before you empty it or similar.

@Supermum29

I did know things needed to be washed but only because I vaguely remember being told it at school many years ago. We moved last year and sadly where we live there is no recycling (44 homes in our complex) apparently because the local council cannot get their recycling truck into our bit so all 44 homes just have mixed rubbish. It’s such a shame and I don’t see why we can’t have a few recycling bins and move them from the bin store to the roadside where the truck does go past to get to other houses down our road…. The mind boggles

24 apartments in our block, 2 waste containers - we had to petititon the council for about two years before they switched one of the containers for mixed recycling. Before that I used to lug mine to public recycling bins near by.

We have recycling bags similar to tarpaulin, which do not close properly and its collected every fortnight. Several neighbours leave them outside and I've had to ask that these aren't left on the joint fence. I do wash all mine and keep the cans etc in the dustbin, paper and cardboard are kept indoors and put out on collection day.

I saw an article this week on Yahoo that said you don't need to wash recycling

Helpful article on this here
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/08/can-i-recycle-a-pizza-box-we-ask-the-expert

@VainAbigail

So if I wash each thing I put for recycling, and the bin folk tip my whole bin in with every other streets recycling, do the people at the other end look at each individual item and determine the clean items and pick them out?

curious

Exactly this ^ or do they just separate it at the recycling centre 🤔

[quote FabricedeSauveterre]Helpful article on this here
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/08/can-i-recycle-a-pizza-box-we-ask-the-expert[/quote]
Sorry that wasn’t the article I meant to link. It was this one
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59133056.amp

@TwinklyBranch

I always wash or rinse it. I can't believe people don't know to do this.

Seems incredible to me that people don't do it, I know no one thankfully that doesn't put clean recycling in their bins

Disgusting not to rinse out your bottles and cans anyway, mine just go in the dishwasher

I rinse mine through but I don't wash it as if I were going to put it back in the cupboard :)

There are loads of areas on the UK without recycling bins at all, it's very frustrating! There was an expert on the radio saying it isn't necessary to wash them out....you can't win!

I don't waste water on washing rubbish.

I found out the other day that none of the plastic that is taken to our dump gets recycled- something to do with a different contractor .

My parents have separate bins for different types of recycling but when collected the paper and glass all gets dumped in together by the bin men .

@VainAbigail

So if I wash each thing I put for recycling, and the bin folk tip my whole bin in with every other streets recycling, do the people at the other end look at each individual item and determine the clean items and pick them out?

curious

Depending on where you live of course...

Here, yes, your recycling is dumped out onto a conveyor belt where it is picked through by real people and dumped into various containers.

Those real people are pretty fucked off when they pick up a carton or can or something and it dumps a disgusting sludge of rotting food waste over them (ditto used nappies, dead animals, used condoms etc).

How well should you wash it - think about how clean YOU'D want it to be if you were having to rummage through the contents of your recycling bin in a few days time. Thats how clean.