I don’t want to wash up chicken packets and jars of mayonnaise!!

[ChristmasBaby2026]

My council like many have recently changed our recycling. We now have:

• a bin for paper and card
• a bin for “mixed recycling”
• the food bin
• the black bin
• the garden bin (which I have to pay extra for 😡)

The only substantial change other than the number of bins to put things in is they will now collect glass whereas we previously had to go to the bottle bank.

But it now means they are now only collecting our black bin once every THREE weeks (and currently not for 4 because the new system has stupidly started on a recycling week).

How are families supposed to only have rubbish collected once every three weeks? There is simply no way.

I do recycle but I have always drawn the line at washing up gross things like packets of mince and jars of mayonnaise. But apparently the council have decided people have nothing better to do. I wouldn’t resent it so much if I thought it was actually making a difference but my landfill mayonnaise jar is not the main problem here!

It needn’t use much- you aren’t aiming for squeaky clean, just getting the grit off. When we’re washing up, the recyclables get the last swish and rinse. While I’m cooking, I use half a can of water to rinse several tomato tins in turn, then add it to what I’m cooking.
When the dishwasher’s going on, the recyclables just fill in any spaces.

No this thread is about recycling. Your household rubbish isn't 'litter' its your own rubbish that is recyclable.

If you threw it on the street outside, it's litter.

My council will give a 2nd recycling bin if anyone needs it.

We wash everything. It’s really not a big deal.

A dog you say? Oh well, say no more. 😂 I’ve got a dog and two cats and two teenagers and manage to wash my recycling. Why not just be honest and say you can’t be arsed?

And complaining about heat waves and saying “ something must be done”

Tbh I think you and others who aren’t washing out jars etc are being massive babies. Just wash them out. It’s not hard. Stop whining!

Don't have time to rinse a jar . . god help us all

Do you watch TV?

3 kids, one disabled, full time job and a dog here and can still rinse my mayonnaise jar 😂

We've had all of this for a few years and it works really well. We have two boxes - one for glass, one for paper/cardboard - a large weighted bag for plastics/tins etc, a food waste bin and a black bin for everything else. Black bin collected every 3 weeks, but everything else every week. It does take a bit of washing out of jars and tins and yoghurt pots, but you soon get into the habit of dividing up everything, and the advantage is that your big black bin doesn't smell horrible and attract maggots. I divert some of the glass jars into things like jam making as well. I'm a great fan!

Because some people don't need garden waste because they live in a flat. Or don't want it because they have a compost heap.

Seeing so many posts that don't give a shit about how consumerism and waste and responsibility are linked makes me really sad and also puzzled as I'm not sure what's not to get.

Just how long do you think it takes to rinse out a tin or a jar?

Don't be so bloody lazy!

I've been washing empty tins and glass jars for years. It really is no big deal. We're keeping gray bin collections every other week though.

I don't mind about meat packaging either, I will just do it last and then scrub the sink like I always do. Not having to go to the glass recycling is a big plus, we have a lot of spice paste jars going on.

Sounds grim. In my country we have weekly collections though you do have to pay for the bags And you can put as many out as you want. In my particular city we have recycling collected every week - glass one week and everything else the other week. I suppose in the UK people have been conditioned not to expect much.

I just put jars, tubs, tins in the sink when empty. Then as we wash our hands, fill/empty kettle or whatever during the cooking/eating/tidying stages of a meal they just get a rinse in the process. So not really using extra water, not really taking extra time. Although agree nut butter jars are a pain so I will look out for the small spatula someone mentioned.
We've had three weekly bin for ages here, everyone seems to cope, even at Christmas, even the family of 6 over the road (who don't appear to have the bigger sized bin either), even the people in the flats. I think it's great we can recycle so much, mine even take small electrical so those toasters, kettles someone mentioned can go out, although I admit they sometimes don't get taken first time if the compartment is full.

We rinse everything. I don't want old chicken juice sitting in my bin/recycling, and I don't want to attract flies to the recycling bins either. Rinse or give it a quick wash and nothing stinks.

I will be honest. I cant be arsed. Got enough to do tbh

I’ve started washing out absolutely everything that has had liquid or goop in it or on it or any remnants of food that can’t be scraped in the food bucket go down the plug. I was mortified seeing 1000 maggots in my bin and I bloody hate flies so I’m doing my bit just for that reason. Also ants they get in anywhere they can smell sugar and I spent countless hours last summer trying to get rid of them. Our recycling and food waste go fortnightly and so does our recycling. It makes me sick they don’t take the food waste weekly.

Agree. I wash absolutely everything.

Not having household waste collected for 3 or 4 weeks is shocking.

But not sure what the problem is with washing an empty mayonnaise jar. First you scrape it well with a spoon. Then use a spatula. Finally wipe it with a piece of kitchen roll or a napkin. Then it ready to be handwashed or put in a dishwasher. Just handle it like any other greasy plates, pans or containers.

🙄

we have been on three week collections since I moved here in 2020 (Devon) and it’s only really a problem over Christmas and new year with bank holidays and delayed collections. Food waste and recycling are collected weekly.

I'm sorry, what kind of absolute monster doesn't wash their recyling? We live in a third floor flat and the bins are a bit of a walk round the back of the building.

We only really take the recycling out once a week or so. So everything gets washed.