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!

Our council started food waste bins a couple of weeks ago and I now put one smallish pedal bin bag of household rubbish in the household bin now instead of a black bin with two or sometimes three pedal bins of rubbish in.

I've noticed that the binmen take out the pedal bin bag and sling it in the cart, they don't need to take my bin to be emptied mechanically as there is so little in it.

The food bin is collected weekly and the recycling and household alternate weeks. The garden bin is fortnightly.

I also rinse out tins, bottles, jars etc. it takes no time and always do it at the end of the washing up before I empty the bowl.

I just use boiling water for these and shake hard! Luckily the 100% nut ones are not as sticky!

I tried jars in the dishwasher but the labels often won’t peel off beforehand and then clog up the dishwasher filters. Food manufacturers could help with easier to remove labels.

I do clean tins and jars but surely they are cleaned again when recycled?

God it's no wonder this country has gone to shit if people are too selfish to wash a jar out! Putting unwashed stuff in the recycling potentially contaminates batches which then can't be recycled

Yes my mum said this - she did a visit a few years ago to a waste disposal centre and it seems they sort through even the non-recyclable stuff by hand in her area! Bleugh. So she washes everything, we can't even have a ready meal without washing out the tray ;)

I fill jars with water and washing up liquid and shake them until clean.

East Suffolk OP?

This. Sometimes my recycling bin isn’t full for a good few weeks so I don’t bother putting it out, it never smells though because everything in there is clean and dry.

I think if that were actually the case nothing would be recycled. Going by the contents of our bins at work, anyway! Nobody seems to be able to to put anything in the right bin and in a previous job I used to fish things out and put them in the right one.

Well its basically so our children aren't swimming in rubbish, consuming micro plastics and the run off from landfill in the water supply and the planet is liveable...but bless your delicate feelings and the exemption your family have to care

You’ve always had to wash your recycling! Except cardboard of course

We’ve had three-weekly collections for well over 10 years now. Family of 4 plus 2 pets. We recycle and/or compost everything we can. Everyone has numerous bins so it’s not like we’re bringing the tone down or something.

The only times it was tricky is when the dc were younger and Christmas presents came packaged in millions of different wrappers. Now they are older this isn’t an issue.

It just requires a bit of thought and patience.

Im not sure anyone enjoys it, we just have to do it.

Never knew that. I shall give everything either a cycle in the dishwasher or a swill in the washing up bowl.

@ManyShapesOfPastaThen you may as well put it into the waste bin as that is what it will be put into! It will be sent to landfill! Along with every other piece of recycling on the entire recycling wagon as the entire load will be considered contaminated!

I can't imagine lazy people who can't be bothered to rinse a jar will be happy to take things out to a communal bin.

I have two wheely bins for general rubbish, just for me.
There's rarely much in them but I'm not giving them up.
It was my council who gave me the extra one when I'd been away and missed a collection as illness meant I couldn't get home in time.
I asked to have my bin emptied, was happy to pay etc, they said they couldn't, but they would give me an extra bin.

It doesn’t take long to give stuff a quick rinse out. Glass jars I put in the dishwasher. We also only get our black bin emptied 3 weekly. It’s fine.

I recycle my soft plastics, I usually fill a bread bag every week. It would save a decent amount of space in a black wheelie bin every 3 weeks. Soft plastics can be recycled at larger supermarkets.

When the council contributes to paying my water bill I’ll rinse. Until then…. Nope.

Can’t believe how many people find it hard to wash out jars or packets which have had meat in them. It is not hard. The recycling people appreciate you doing this that’s why they ask you to do it.

Put plastic meat trays in sink. Squirt of washing up liquid over. Then pour a full boiling kettle over them. Washes them, shrinks and softens them and you can (quickly) fold them up before they stiffen, all tiny and clean.

Takes up a fraction of the space in the recycling bin. Stops any smells of rancid meat. Stops the foxes smelling anything and upending the bin to get to scraps. Helps the bin men. Win win.

Jars and tins in the dishwasher.

You do. We've had ours for years now. Was confused at first remembering the different weeks for everything.

I dont use food waste bin due to previous maggots.
i also dont wash meat containers.

i do wonder how often men are doing any of this

i always rinse or wash jars and packaging… but now before you all come at me before that I didn’t!! A couple of years ago residents who live close to the recycling plant ( this was a mile away)!were subjected to flies on huge proportions they couldn’t open windows or doors… every thing available like fly traps proved useless honestly it was a truly miserable existence for them… this was due to unwashed or rinsed packaging and jars so if you can please do it