My recycling bin sat full for a month because I was washing stuff wrong

I was at my kitchen sink in Denver last Tuesday scrubbing a peanut butter jar for 10 minutes and finally snapped. Turns out you don't need to wash containers perfectly, just scrape them clean and toss them in. Has anyone else been wasting water like I was?

2 comments

2 Comments

amy_reed798d ago

Start by scraping that peanut butter jar with a spatula first. I used to rinse everything until the water ran clear, but now I just run a quick wipe with a paper towel for really sticky stuff. My water bill dropped like 15 bucks last month and my recycling finally stopped smelling like a science experiment. Denver water is expensive enough without us trying to polish every container like it's going on display.

joseph_lewis928d ago

Hold on, @amy_reed79, a whole 15 bucks just from less rinsing? That feels like a lot to pin on one change, even with Denver water prices. In my experience, utility bills jump around for all kinds of reasons, so it's hard to give all the credit to a quick paper towel wipe. Your point about the smell is solid though, that alone makes me want to give it a try.