What to do with an empty peanut butter jar?

[clifffaith]

This is our question this morning. Do we use water resources to wash the jar so it can go clean (as the program requests) into the recycle can, recycle it dirty, or put the dirty glass jar in the trash and the metal lid in recycle? I'd left the jar full of water on the kitchen counter, figuring I'd do a minimal wash a bit later before deciding if it was clean enough for recycle. Cliff came along and dumped the water and said he'd just trash it without washing, but then "trash" actually became recycle. I am really torn, I don't like dirty jars in trash or recycle, especially on Tuesday when trash day is Friday, but I hate using the amount of water it takes to wash something like peanut butter away. I suspect this is a "we once were and will be again" drought stricken California quandary.

 

[VacationForever]

This is our question this morning. Do we use water resources to wash the jar so it can go clean (as the program requests) into the recycle can, recycle it dirty, or put the dirty glass jar in the trash and the metal lid in recycle? I'd left the jar full of water on the kitchen counter, figuring I'd do a minimal wash a bit later before deciding if it was clean enough for recycle. Cliff came along and dumped the water and said he'd just trash it without washing, but then "trash" actually became recycle. I am really torn, I don't like dirty jars in trash or recycle, especially on Tuesday when trash day is Friday, but I hate using the amount of water it takes to wash something like peanut butter away. I suspect this is a "we once were and will be again" drought stricken California quandary.

I had this same dilemma.... I would do anything of these 3 before putting it in the recycle bin....
- I stick it in the dishwasher
- Fill it with water in the sink and leave it there for a day and then rinse it out
- Close it and not wash it

We now live in a building with no recycle option... everything gets dump into the trash..

 

[WinniWoman]

I soak it in water and eventually clean it- but just "good enough". It is a pain, I know.

VacationerForever's idea of putting it in the dishwasher is a very good one. Why didn't I think of that? In fact, that is a good idea for a lot of recyclables- especially in our case where there are only two of us and it takes a week just to fill the dishwasher up.

 

[bluehende]

We leave those in the sink and it slowly gets cleaned with water we use to wash hands and dishes.

 

[DaveNV]

If it was at my house, I’d let my dogs and cat clean it up. They love peanut butter. Then I’d recycle it.

Dave

 

[VacationForever]

If it was at my house, I’d let my dogs and cat clean it up. They love peanut butter. Then I’d recycle it.

Dave

How do they get their tongues in?

 

[controller1]

I soak it in water and eventually clean it- but just "good enough".

I'm afraid your efforts at recycling may be in vain as "just good enough" is not good enough. The number one importer of recyclable materials from the U.S. is China and they have become very strict with metal, glass and plastic recyclable materials which still contain food scraps as those items must be handled separately since the food scrap causes problems during the recycling process. China has begun turning back entire pallets of these products if any of the items on the pallet appear to have food scraps. It has become a major headache for American recycling companies and has increased costs which can imperil recycling efforts in some communities.

 

[easyrider]

Most recyclable's are recycled to the regular garbage, lol. Only an estimated 9% of collected plastic recyclables actually get recycled. In my area there is no recycling of trash plastics and glass but places a person can take profitable recyclables like newspapers, cardboard and aluminium. With no container deposit all containers get tossed into the trash.

Bill

 

[Patri]

Glass is no longer accepted for recycling in my area. I get your dilemma. With some plastics, I trash them rather than waste water washing them out. Not sure a dishwasher would really get the peanut butter. I will try it!

 

[Passepartout]

Glass is no longer accepted & just type 1 & 2 plastics. Something about China doesn't want our throw aways. 'Magine that!

I saw squirrels having a great time with a peanut butter jar, then it went to the bin.

We really have to do.what we can to refuse waste. One glaring thing I noticed during our extended stay in Germany last Summer. No cans. They clean soda and water and juice bottles and re-use them. Like we did here in the 1950's. Hard for me to wrap my mind around it being cheaper to mine and make fans out of aluminum than to wash a bottle.

Jim

 

[DaveNV]

How do they get their tongues in?

They’re Dachshunds. Skinny noses and the longest tongues in town.

Dave

 

[moonstone]

I wash the jar out (by hand) well and re-use it. When our kids were small they stored crayons, lego figures or pieces of the same type (ie; wheels), and at times a small bug or toad for an hour or so to study it. Since they were plastic I didn't have to worry if they might drop it. I always kept a few empty jars in the camper for storing teabags, rice, flour, pasta, matches, you name it.
I brought a couple of the 1kg (2lb) size jars with me to Belize (stuffed sox or underwear in them to conserve space in the suitcase) to keep the ants and other 'critters' from getting into our pantry stuff. I can keep 3 mos worth of tea bags in one and they don't get damp. Rubbermaid, Ziploc and other types of containers are hard to find and expensive here so I will leave the jars with some locals and bring new ones back next year.


~Diane

 

[clifffaith]

Glass is no longer accepted for recycling in my area. I get your dilemma. With some plastics, I trash them rather than waste water washing them out. Not sure a dishwasher would really get the peanut butter. I will try it!

If you recall my "stinky dishwasher" thread, even before I started to have the stench issues I was always one who washed the dishes before I washed the dishes. I couldn't bring myself to put a dirty PB jar in the dishwasher. Speaking of stinky dishwashers, the "Glisten" someone recommended on that thread seems to have done the trick. No smell for months, but we'll see what happens during the warmer months.

 

[WinniWoman]

I'm afraid your efforts at recycling may be in vain as "just good enough" is not good enough. The number one importer of recyclable materials from the U.S. is China and they have become very strict with metal, glass and plastic recyclable materials which still contain food scraps as those items must be handled separately since the food scrap causes problems during the recycling process. China has begun turning back entire pallets of these products if any of the items on the pallet appear to have food scraps. It has become a major headache for American recycling companies and has increased costs which can imperil recycling efforts in some communities.

Here in our county I was under the impression that the recycling center has people who actually go through everything and then everything is washed.

 

[Passepartout]

Here in our county I was under the impression that the recycling center has people who actually go through everything and then everything is washed.

They don't. There are buyers who look over the 'waste stream', and if contaminated waste is above a certain level, they divert the whole load to the landfill. At our facility, we allow up to (we pay) $175/ton for the recycling to go wherever it goes, but if the charge is higher, to Mt. Trashmore it goes.

Jim

 

[geist1223]

If it is glass don't worry even though they have a container for recycle glass there is no market for recycled glass. In Oregon most of it is crushed and used to make roads at landfills. If it is plastic under the new rules in Oregon (due primarily to closing of Chinese Market) it does not qualify for recycle and goes into trash. Also in Oregon they no longer want metal jar tops in the recycle. Basically it is just metal cans and aluminum cans.

In the last year or two the rules regarding recycling have changed drastically do to the changing of what China will accept. Most plastics are out. Food contaminated items are out. Many manufactures of plastic products put the recycle symbol on their product but they are not actually recyclable.

Our big blue mixed recycle trash can use to go to the curb every two weeks full or over flowing. Now it goes less than 1/2 full.

 

[pedro47]

Simply, put it in the trash can for garbage pick up. When you visit VA Beach, VA please visit and have some fun at Mount Trashmore. It was built from our local trash pickup years ago. The site is beautiful and very well maintain.

It has a picnic area, it has bike trails, nature trails, volleyball courses, a skate park, a children playground area and other recreational things onsite.

Plus, it is free.

 

[AnnaS]

When I have a jar that leaves food on it (peanut butter, jelly) unlike a sauce can.....I fill it with water, let it sit for a bit. I then just rinse again for recycle.

Hubby used to wash the tuna cans. I told him to rinse and we put it in the trash outside right away so it does not stink up the whole house.

 

[WinniWoman]

They don't. There are buyers who look over the 'waste stream', and if contaminated waste is above a certain level, they divert the whole load to the landfill. At our facility, we allow up to (we pay) $175/ton for the recycling to go wherever it goes, but if the charge is higher, to Mt. Trashmore it goes.

Jim

Well- at least we have single stream recycling here. I do the best I can with cleaning the recyclables.

 

[bbodb1]

In our household, the 'empty' PB jar is highly anticipated.....And provides several minutes of entertainment!

 

[am1]

Best to toss it or recycle it dirty.

 

[alwysonvac]

I just use very hot water.

I fill up the plastic peanut butter jar about half way. Put the lid on it and shake it for a few seconds for the remaining peanut butter to melt and dump the water.

 

[stmartinfan]

I put most of my jars, cans and bottles in the dishwasher before dropping them into recycling. There's always room to wedge one more item into a load! Peanut butter jars might have to go through twice if they are in a far corner where they don’t get the strongest power of the jets.

I do keep a few small clean jars on hand though for stuff like the fat drained when I brown ground beef, etc., that I don't want to go down the drain. Those go in the garbage then. Based on the info in this discussion I should save the glass jars for this and put the plastics into recycling.

 

[clifffaith]

I put most of my jars, cans and bottles in the dishwasher before dropping them into recycling. There's always room to wedge one more item into a load! Peanut butter jars might have to go through twice if they are in a far corner where they don’t get the strongest power of the jets.

I do keep a few small clean jars on hand though for stuff like the fat drained when I brown ground beef, etc., that I don't want to go down the drain. Those go in the garbage then. Based on the info in this discussion I should save the glass jars for this and put the plastics into recycling.

We always have one glass jar, stored with the Tupperware I have far too much of (to say nothing of the plastic lunch meat containers that are just too good to throw away), waiting for the current refrigerated grease jar to fill up. So yesterday we had BLTs for dinner and the plastic Miracle Whip jar got finished up. I just screwed the lid back on it and put it in the trash rather than waste water on it.

 

[Patri]

Best to toss it or recycle it dirty.

Are you kidding? Dirty recyclables contaminate the load. That is why China is refusing ours. My PB plastic container came out clean in the dishwasher. Otherwise, put a dirty one in the trash yourself.

 

[bbodb1]

One takeaway from this thread really sticks out - after making recycling (and green living) a focus to some extent over the past few decades, we need to revisit exactly what it means to live green and what we should be doing to achieve it. Clearly what we started a generation ago (save your plastics) is no longer a sufficient approach (if it ever was). The concept of recycling needs revised / updated.