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I finally realized I was throwing away recyclables just because they were dirty | Climate Action - Thought Shares

I finally realized I was throwing away recyclables just because they were dirty

Last week I was about to toss a peanut butter jar in the trash because I figured scrubbing it out wasn't worth the effort. Then my neighbor saw me and said 'that's still recyclable if you give it a quick rinse.' I had no idea. For like 5 years I've been tossing anything with food residue straight in the garbage. Now I keep a scrub brush by the sink and it takes maybe 30 seconds per jar. Has anyone else been accidentally trashing stuff that could be recycled?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylor.reese5mo ago

...and honestly? I've been doing it on purpose sometimes. Not to be wasteful, but because I'm not convinced rinsing a jar uses less water and energy than just making a new one. Plus half the stuff I "recycle" probably ends up in a landfill anyway because my local facility isn't that picky. It's great you found a system that works for you, but I think people get a little too worked up over the whole thing.

wood.eric5mo ago

Wait, have you actually tracked the water you use rinsing a jar vs what goes into making a new one? I used to think the same thing @taylor.reese, then I timed it. Rinsing a peanut butter jar takes like 30 seconds of lukewarm water, maybe a gallon tops. Making a new glass jar from scratch uses way more energy and water in the factory, plus all the shipping. And yeah, facilities vary a ton - I live near one that actually sorts decently, but I get why you'd check out if yours doesn't. Stubborn food stuck on stuff is the real killer though, that's gonna get tossed regardless.

wyatt_hernandez145mo ago

Ngl @taylor.reese I actually think you're overthinking this one. I used to skip rinsing stuff too until I saw a video from a recycling plant showing how a single greasy pizza box can contaminate an entire bale of cardboard. Like yeah, maybe your local facility isn't perfect, but if you're just tossing dirty jars without rinsing them, you're basically making it harder for the stuff that does get sorted properly. Honestly, a quick rinse takes less time than scrolling past this thread.