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.

I didn’t know this and not sure I believe it. I’ve never rinsed out anything…

Recycling is a waste of time as we make too much and China et al have stopped taking our crap. I would absolutely love to know the % that goes in landfill. We need to not BUY the goods with excessive packaging in the FIRST place, not feel virtuous because we've put it in the correct bin!

Well I didn’t know this. We’re ardent recyclers but it’s new to me. I thought all that washing stopped years ago when water meters arrived it became costly and importantly wasted water.

I wash cans jars and rinse out bottles but I wish the labels were easier to remove. I’ve just bought some bokashi bins which can take cheesy pizza boxes

Our council specifically says it doesn’t have to be, so YABU.

In reality I do wash out tins as they make the bin smell otherwise.

I’m amazed that anything gets recycled tbh. I would have thought it was common sense to rinse it out, but judging by the contents of some clear recycling bags it seems not many people do. I’ve also seen vegetable peelings, used tissues, glass jars half full of mayonnaise etc etc despite the council clearly stating on each bag what they do and don’t accept.

I rinse everything before it goes into recycling, if it needs it. I have yet to get my DP to do the same! Am constantly washing sauce bottles etc. I believe you can put pizza boxes in provided they aren't badly stained or have food stuck to them.

But yes, a lot of confusion around recycling and what you can/can't recycle. I still am not sure about some things.

I did know this, but I routinely rinse all metal cans, plastics and glass containers, whether or not I plan to recycle. I live alone, and do not generate a lot of kitchen trash, meaning that it might take as much as two weeks before a bag is filled and ready for disposal. Don't want the smell. I also rinse styrofoam meat trays.

We were told this at the start, uve always done it

And buy less plastic.

I didn’t know ! Thanks for sharing

I thought it was generally known that greasy pizza boxes and chip wrappers shouldn't go in?

Here, cans and bottles are washed out either in the sink after washing up, sometimes in the dwr.

no need to run extra hot water, the used water is good enough. Getting the sugary drinks or food traces out also prevents flies or rotting smells in the bin.

My son used to work on the bins and he constantly told me I was wasting my time washing the recycling. He said that people put bottles of cola in etc that weren’t completely empty and this would spray over everything else anyway. He said it all got cleaned at the recycling plant.

Astounded that some posters didn’t know this was necessary

Same goes for pizza boxes, as they're greasy. Yet the pizza restaurant in the park kindly has a bin with a sign asking you to recycle your pizza boxes 🙃 they're just ticking a box.

Same goes for shitty, disintegrating after 5 minutes paper straws.

@TurnUpTurnip

This is why so many don’t bother recycling then. Already got enough things to do tbh

Exactly. Need a degree in chemistry to follow the “rules” and so much “recycling” is actually dumped it’s just expensive gesture-ism at its worst.

@wigornian

Astounded that some posters didn’t know this was necessary

As its been already said hundreds of times on this thread it is not necessary in many council areas so no need for

@Shell4429

My son used to work on the bins and he constantly told me I was wasting my time washing the recycling. He said that people put bottles of cola in etc that weren’t completely empty and this would spray over everything else anyway. He said it all got cleaned at the recycling plant.

Indeed . Yet people on here still insist if it isn't washed it's dumped @wigornian take note. It has been said numerous times though already.

Yes because using all the extra water rinsing stuff is so green.

Also, I read an article on BBC today saying you CAN recycle pizza boxes.

Top tip - I could never remember what went into which bin, so DH got a sharpie and wrote on the inside of the bin lid what could be recycled. Very handy as it means I can have all of the bins open when I am emptying our kitchen recycling bin, and if I'm not sure where an item goes, I can look on the main bin lids.

I'm astonished that anyone would put them in unwashed 🤮

I think if people felt that they wanted to do even a small thing to help the planet it might make them feel better and more worthwhile if they did wash things before recycling.

Pizza boxes are OK now, as long as any food debris is removed. Just read an article on this yesterday.

@Throckmorton

On the BBC today they said pizza boxes are recyclable if you remove any food. Which is it?

We recycle pizza boxes in the food waste bin. Our local tv station said that’s the bin for it.

Our council say no pizza boxes