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!

We built special bags to collect the compost, I think they are £2. Then you can refill it as often as you like.

That’s good. Ours won’t unless you have 5 plus people in your home.

I think even if they charged extra it would make sense especially for recycling bins and from a fly tipping point of view better more bins than clearing fly tips of rubbish bags.

It's really not hard. Our black bin goes out about once every 3 months. Most things can be recycled

I do the same. Some of the plastic trays which have contained meat, sometimes go a bit ‘meltly’, but I’m sure they’re still recyclable. (Hopefully!!)

I can’t believe people don’t wash jars ! Just scrape them out with a spatula then shake with water or stick through the dishwasher surely

I live in the SE - we have been doing this since 2004 and recycling bins and garden waste since 2019.

Had no idea other places didn't do this too..

Me neither!

Possibly not, but wouldn’t their resources be better used elsewhere like..stopping the planet burning up etc? Meanwhile, people could steel themselves to wash a jar and a ‘ ooh yuck’ meat packet, etc.

I recycle plastic and cardboard, but put packets from chicken in the main bin. Jars also go in main bin despite us having a green bin for glass.

Our compost centre is 18 miles away 😅 and they charge you even with your own bags. They weigh it out.

Am I living in an alternate universe? Who tf has time to wash all of their recycling 🤯

People who actually give a shit about the planet they live on and the future of it!

Whereas the rest of us are just sitting around on our arses all day occasionally leaving our sofas only to wash up jars and packets 😂

Makes me sick that most of us are washing and separating our recycling while lazy slobs like you are shoving it all in the bin. And that there are councils out there collecting bi-weekly, encouraging it!

An awful lot of people aren’t very bright. I think our species is devolving 🥴

I’m sure some non washers are more eco friendly than some of the washers.

We all have our good eco bits and bad eco bits.

People in flats mostly still can’t even recycle at all let alone wash it.

I care more about my sanity, sorry 🤷‍♀️

The Dutch have a little tool called a jar/bottle scraper. Flessenschraper/ Flessenlikker. It is magnificently easy to use for pulling out the remaining crud in jars. Just tip into a food bin placed beside you. There used to be a HEMA in the Glades in Bromley which sold them. Maybe they can be found online.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottle_scraper

I keep a good/very clean one for pulling out the last film from yoghourt pots etc. and things which I am going to eat. Then I have a utility one for removing the last old bits from jam/ sauce jars which I am taking to the bottle bank. Just give that one a wipe and rinse.

I cannot tell you how easy, and grime free it makes the whole process. The curved bit fits against the round jar.

Do you think washing things will make you insane? Seems a bit of an overreaction.

I think I'm already spread too thin and I'm certainly not adding more to the load. But you crack on!

I always wash jars and tubs, if you don't it stinks and attracts flies, its unhygienic not to. However a couple of years ago my council decided to move food recycling to every 3 weeks which is just grim food waste should be collected every week.

WHAT? I’ve been washing every jar, packet, tin and pack for decades, for the recycling. Surely that’s normal? I mean, you literally ate the mayo and meat but you don’t want it to sully your sink?!

In Scotland black bin is every 4 weeks for years. It’s no problem for us as a family of 5.
why should your mayo jar go into landfill ? It needs to go in glass recycling.

We have
Black bin
Two recycling crates
Food waste caddy
Bag for newspaper and envelopes
Battery bag
Gardening bin

The black bin gets emptied every two weeks but sometimes there's nothing in it.

Jars also go in main bin despite us having a green bin for glass.

Why?