Our city just adopted a recycling program (I'm embarrassed that it hasn't been done before!) We are very excited about it but we are unsure of how to handle our recyclables.
We just got a 65 gallon cart and we do not have to separate (yay!) but obviously we have to rinse our items and dry them before putting them in the cart so that it doesn't corrode recyclable metals or leave odor, etc. The program isn't actually in effect yet but we do have our bin so our household has already begun recycling. As happy as I am to recycle, I am very annoyed by washing out my peanut butter container and stuff like that. (Stuff that can't easily be rinsed.) Having them sit on my counter until they dry also annoys me (I don't like clutter in my kitchen) but I do not have time to hand dry them, either.
Is there an easier way to handle this? What do you do?
eandesmom
11-09-2007, 07:19 AM
Our trash pick up doesn't have a program, so we have to seperate everything and take it to it's seperate bins in a city close to us, so we have recycling literally EVERYWHERE. It's driving me crazy. There is a bag of paper, a bag of plastic, the cans are outside, there is a bag for glass and another bag for---I can't even remember. I can't even go into the kitchen. If we weren't getting ready to move (and therefore recycling a TON more than usual) I would have some other system, but for now, as the bags fill, they get taken out to be recycled.
Sorry I don't have any advice. I just realized this turned into more of a vent :giggle:
redsonja
11-09-2007, 07:24 AM
Our city doesn't do it so we take them ourselves. With things like peanut butter jars and other sticky things, just fill them up with water and let them sit in the sink for a couple hours. It will make them much easier to rinse out. As for drying, well, I just let them sit on the counter until they dry out and put them in the bins. Sorry I don't have any other advice.
j9_shooter9
11-09-2007, 07:25 AM
I wash PB jars in the dishwasher and just rinse everything else out that's not sticky. :)
I always have a towel out on my counter that I'm drying things out on. OR a drying rack is nice too. I try to just rinse right after I use them.
pixilated
11-09-2007, 07:27 AM
We only have centrally located recycling areas, basically a bunch of dumpsters specified for newspaper, aluminum, etc.
I wish we had curbside pick up, it would make things so much easier on me. I just dropped a big load of cardboard off yesterday. And then I found more I need to bring there. I have a closet that houses my garbage can, so I store recyclables in there too.
No plastic recycling in town though.
ericak95
11-09-2007, 07:33 AM
I'm proud to say I live in Portland, OR and we've been recylcing for years :thumbsup:
We always had a couple of yellow bins and had to separate things some, then we didn't have to separate anything but glass, now we're in a test area of the large 65gal roll car, but we still have to separate glass.
Of course most things get rinsed, I don't really bother "drying" anything though. We have a double sink that is split like 3/4 and 1/4th we use the 1/4th side to put things upside down to dry and take to the bin daily. For those tough things I have put in the dishwasher.
Erica
House of Blue
11-09-2007, 07:33 AM
We have pick up every other week. I have 3 large blue bins that sit outside by the back door. 2 for cardboard and paper and one for plastics, cans and glass.
Through the day I put all items that need to be recycled in a small plastic bin I keep in my back porch, at the end of the day I pop my head out the door and toss items into their appropriate bins outside.
If something is really nasty like a peanut butter or jam jar I fill it with hot water and a pinch of dishwasher detergent. After a couple of hours I just dump and rinse. It's usually fairly clean, if not I'm not going to scrub it :laugh: They are not picky about really clean items and they don't care if they are wet. But we can only add a few kinds of plastics. Every plastic item will have a little triangle made out of arrows with a number in it. We can only take a few different #'s, not all of them.
vmccal1
11-09-2007, 08:09 AM
A good way to handle cleaning out peanut butter containers and the like is to use a rubber spatula. If it is left over PB you could spread it on a piece of bread and feed it to the dogs or the birds. I've heard of people wiping out greasy pans with bread and putting it out for the birds too. (to keep it out of reach of kiddos you can nail an aluminum pie plate to the top or side of your fence.)
You can also just wipe the spatula with a used napkin or piece of paper and throw it in the trash. This is environmentally friendly because you are not putting these fats down the drain. Over time fats adhere to sewer lines and cause blockages. This could cause you to have to call a plumber if it is in a private line. Or if it is in the city line you may not be able to flush your toilet or drain any other water from your house until the blockage is removed by work crews.
If you are rinsing out a container just shake the last few drops out in the sink and put your item in an open recycling container. The small amount left over should evaporate especially if it is outside or in a garage.
FYI: For those of you that use garbage disposals. Any food sent down the sanitary sewer (through the disposal) has to be treated and removed. So remember it is easier to remove food from a container and put it in the trash at home than for the waste water treatment plant to remove that same amount of food from the million gallons of water it has mixed with on its way to the sewer plant.
Thanks for caring about the environment!
Kdpie
11-09-2007, 09:02 AM
I'm proud to say I live in Portland, OR and we've been recylcing for years :thumbsup:
We always had a couple of yellow bins and had to separate things some, then we didn't have to separate anything but glass, now we're in a test area of the large 65gal roll car, but we still have to separate glass.
Of course most things get rinsed, I don't really bother "drying" anything though. We have a double sink that is split like 3/4 and 1/4th we use the 1/4th side to put things upside down to dry and take to the bin daily. For those tough things I have put in the dishwasher.
Erica
:thumbsup: Me too! I :wub: Oregon! I have a two little bins I keep under my sink in the kitchen. One for glass and the other for everything else. I throw some of my hard to clean recylcleables in the dishwasher too. I don't really worry about drying either, since everything is mostly dry before I take it out to our Curbys anyway! It's exciting to hear of more states and cities starting recycling programs!! :goodvibes:
foodie.yarnie.mommie.
11-09-2007, 09:08 AM
We have weekly pick up and I usually wash out almost everything, with things like peanut butter I just fill it with hot water, let it sit for a few while, the drain, fill about half way with hot water and then put the lid on an shake and it usually gets everything right off. We use the jar until it's almost scraped clean anyways so it's not too hard to clean. I usually don't worry about containers being 100% dry before I put them in, as long as they don't have any water in them I just toss them in the bin.
masonite
11-09-2007, 09:15 AM
Our city has curbside recycling, so we have a trash bin for trash, and one for recycling.
We don't have to separate anything, it just all goes in the bin. We don't even have to rinse or dry anything out!! I usually do what I can, but since it isn't required, I don't fuss with it too much. They don't accept glass, so we usually recycle that on our own.
movingsouth
11-09-2007, 01:47 PM
Our city has curbside recycling, so we have a trash bin for trash, and one for recycling.
We don't have to separate anything, it just all goes in the bin. We don't even have to rinse or dry anything out!! I usually do what I can, but since it isn't required, I don't fuss with it too much. They don't accept glass, so we usually recycle that on our own.
same here - except glass too. I don't rinse anything - just have two containers under the kitchen sink, one for trash, one for recyc. empty to outside when full. Pay attention - things like styrofoam-y egg containers are recycleable too! At least in our program :)
CarrieMF
11-09-2007, 07:15 PM
We have curbside recycling that is picked up weekly. We are supposed to rinse everything, not include milk jug lids, put newspapers bundled together, etc. nobody does.
Cardboard is broken down & we place that under our blue box(otherwise it tends to fly around the neighborhood). We put the newspapers in the bottom of the blue box(same reason as the cardboard), then everything else on top. They seperate when they pick it up.
cornelia9805
11-19-2007, 07:35 PM
I grew up in California with recycling as long as I can remember. I didn't even know not every city did this till I lived in Washinton state. I feel blessed to have a bin where we can toss everything that is recyclable. :thumbsup: There is not a lot of things that I love about California, but this definitely is one of them.
