Shake Shake Shake!
Shake shake shake!
In most cases, that’s really all it takes to rinse a dirty food container for recycling. Rinse containers as soon as they’re empty, add some warm water and a little soap, put the lid on, and shake it up. Or rinse them out before you dump the water in your sink from washing dishes. You can also fill that last empty spot in your dishwasher with an empty peanut butter jar or to-go container that needs a little more scrubbing power. But no worries, they don’t have to be spotless (as you can see in the video below!). And labels may be left on plastic packaging as they can be removed later during the recycling process.
Why rinse?
- First, it’s just more pleasant for everyone. Dirty containers in your cart will smell, attract rodents or bears, and generally get gross between pickup days. Once they get to the depot, dirty containers probably smell that much worse for the workers in these facilities.
- Second, containers with contents remaining can contaminate other materials in your cart. Think of a coffee cup with a splash of coffee remaining. If that spills onto paper products like the newspapers in your cart, the paper can no longer be recycled.
- Third, packaging with contents might damage machinery—or the workers operating it—at the processing facilities. Think of aerosol containers, which can explode if improperly handled. And bottles of hair gel that still contain product? Now that’s just a mess! Use or dispose of those contents before adding the container to your cart.
Just remember to shake shake shake and you’ll make a world of difference for contamination in our recycling system.
Quick how-to video from Recycle BC:
More from Recycle BC on rinsing containers here.
recycling@terrace.ca | 250-615-4019
#OneChangePerWeek #CurbsideCollectionTip
