Jars and cans don't need to be spotless to recycle
I'm going to play myth buster for a minute. This is something that I have personally wondered about for a while.
You see my husband insists that you need to completely clean out cans, bottles and plastic food containers before you put them in the recycle bin. He mostly does it but after a while I bought into it. It turns out, I was right all along. I knew it!
Most of the contaminates get cleaned or burned away during the remanufacturing process. Sweet. You save water by not cleaning that two-day-old tomato sauce.
That being said don't chuck a container that has mold growing right into the recycle bin. You do need to scoop out the science experiment first, but it doesn't need to be spotless.
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About this blog
Roxanne Kotzman is a Daily News Photo Department veteran of nine years. When she and longtime friend Stacy Long
discovered their love all of all things environmentally responsible, they launched Happy Monkey Planet and jumped head-first into the vibrant eco-community.
Wow, so much to learn! But initially the idea is a pretty simple one: Let's change the world through information, education and action.
Rox & Stacy are a lot like you: ecologically minded but sometimes just plain overwhelmed when charged with the task of making a far-reaching difference in the environment. They have jobs, families, homes, lives and pets.
But what if doing better was a simple as a light-bulb change, a reusable canvas grocery bag, recycling that soda can or a cold-water wash?
These eco-chicks just hope to have a little fun, learn a little more, share a lot of information and maybe make the planet a happier, greener, cleaner place.
I always wondered about this, and I, too, suspected that stuff doesn't need to be all that clean. Thanks for clearing it up about not cleaning it up!