What to do with an empty peanut butter jar?

[T-Dot-Traveller]

Empty plastic peanut butter jars
cleaning them is a waste of time , effort & water .

Fill them with broken stuff you want a future generation of anthropologists to find .
-we would know nothing about pre- history humans if it wasn’t for their cave trash .

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

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

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have single stream recycling, it's likely that none of it is recycled.

Separating the waste streams is a huge cost, and if the stream is not segregated at the point of origin, that waste stream is not worthwhile for a recycler to process. Except, maybe, to run it past an electromagnet to capture iron and steel that can be transferred to a metal shredder to process along with scrap automobiles.

 

[am1]

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.

Ok then toss it. I am sure tossing it is better then the effort washing it is. I have no recycling other then reusing and the metals being picked through for scrap at the dump. I have human dishwashers not an appliance. Yes yours is more efficient when it comes to water, soap and cleanliness. But mine is more efficient when it comes to JIT.

 

[geist1223]

Think of the cost and effort to wash, whether by hand or machine. The cost of providing the water, heating the water (electricity or gas), disposing of the water, water going through a treatment plant, soap, etc. With a machine the added cost of electricity. Think of the small cost of tossing into the garbage can. In Marion County we burn a lot of the garbage generating electricity.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

In Marion County we burn a lot of the garbage generating electricity.

That peanut butter jar isn't going to generate much electricity in a solid waste incinerator!

Even if solid waste is being sent to a solid waste incinerator, it still makes sense to segregate glass and metal at the pickup point. Those don't have any fuel value, but consume heat within the incinerator. So separating them out increases the incinerator efficiency.

 

[WinniWoman]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have single stream recycling, it's likely that none of it is recycled.

Separating the waste streams is a huge cost, and if the stream is not segregated at the point of origin, that waste stream is not worthwhile for a recycler to process. Except, maybe, to run it past an electromagnet to capture iron and steel that can be transferred to a metal shredder to process along with scrap automobiles.

Again, when this recycling thing all started, I read that in our county they actually have employees who go through the recycling (on a conveyor belt- MRF's) and separate it (the paper, the plastic, the glass ,etc.) and then it gets washed. We have two garbage containers that get picked up - one with the trash and one with the recycling. Both are put into the same truck- but one that has separate compartments in it- one for trash and one for recycling.

 

[Talent312]

In our community, we have separate pick-ups for recyclables.
For recycling, we have 2 bins: one for glass+plastic+aluminum & one for paper+cardboard.
They recently announced that pizza boxes are now recyclable.
.

 

[Quiet Pine]

I wash the jar out (by hand) well and re-use it. ~Diane

I re-use jars too. I put in a crumpled piece of paper towel to absorb odors while they're in the cupboard waiting for their next assignment.

 

[geist1223]

In Salem Oregon we have 4 trash containers. Grey for garbage; blue for mixed recycling; green for yard debris, food items, white napkins, and white paper towels (turned into mulch); and a separate one for glass. The glass containers must be clean and tops removed. These are our current Rules for recycle - Blue container: clean steel cans, clean aluminum cans, junk mail, greeting cards (but no foil or glitter), magazines, newspapers, phone books (every body remembers those), paper back books, paper bags, plastic jugs and bottles (have to be clean, no lids, over 12 ounces, limited to drink containers, liquid soap container, liquid household cleaners, milk containers, detergent containers, and juice containers)..

Things not allowed: scrap metal, egg cartons, shredded paper, plastic cups, plastic jars, plastic tubs (like yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, etc), aerosol cans, aluminum foil, plastic clamshells, and take out food trays.

They have said that if people continue to put prohibited items put in the blue containers they are going to put video cameras on the trucks and fine people for improper items.

 

[controller1]

In Salem Oregon we have 4 trash containers. Grey for garbage; blue for mixed recycling; green for yard debris, food items, white napkins, and white paper towels (turned into mulch); and a separate one for glass. The glass containers must be clean and tops removed. These are our current Rules for recycle - Blue container: clean steel cans, clean aluminum cans, junk mail, greeting cards (but no foil or glitter), magazines, newspapers, phone books (every body remembers those), paper back books, paper bags, plastic jugs and bottles (have to be clean, no lids, over 12 ounces, limited to drink containers, liquid soap container, liquid household cleaners, milk containers, detergent containers, and juice containers)..

Things not allowed: scrap metal, egg cartons, shredded paper, plastic cups, plastic jars, plastic tubs (like yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, etc), aerosol cans, aluminum foil, plastic clamshells, and take out food trays.

They have said that if people continue to put prohibited items put in the blue containers they are going to put video cameras on the trucks and fine people for improper items.

What is the cost of recycling charged to each resident?

 

[geist1223]

$59 every other month. Every week they pick up the lawn green can and grey garbage can. Every other week they also pick up the blue mixed recycle and glass. They do not have a break out.

 

[b2bailey]

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.

Yes. I can still remember back when my children learned about recycling in school and then came home and taught me -- 1989. In recent years, daughter and grand-daughter have been using personal refillable containers, suggesting that I stop buying water in plastic bottles. They weren't able to convince me. However, a documentary telling about the now broken relationship between China and our plastic recyclables stunned me. I had believed our plastic recyclables had been magically turned into usable stuff. I stopped buying plastic water bottles that day. Now on high alert for ways to reduce my use of plastic.

 

[controller1]

$59 every other month. Every week they pick up the lawn green can and grey garbage can. Every other week they also pick up the blue mixed recycle and glass. They do not have a break out.

Not bad. Our combined recycle/garbage pickup costs $23 per month. The black garbage container is picked up twice a week. The gray recycling (mixed paper, glass, cans, plastic) is picked up once a week.

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

We also have - 4

In Salem Oregon we have 4 trash containers. Grey for garbage; blue for mixed recycling; green for yard debris, food items, white napkins, and white paper towels (turned into mulch); .

We have 4 streams as well .
1)Every OTHER week - garbage bags ( max 3 bags ) / + once a month “big “garbage .

2) every OTHER week - yard waste April - end Nov .(not needed in winter)

3) every week - blue box - paper , metal cans , plastic etc

4) every week - green bin - food scraps coffee grounds etc / in those corn based -decomposable “plastic “bags and then into a green bin with a hinged lid ( rangoon & coyotes banquet buffet)

# 4 is turned into mulch - they have had problems with the mulch being too salty - from food items like potato chips . Now that Canada has legal Marijuana - I expect the salty junk food component to increase in the green bin .

 

[clifffaith]

Seeing the comments on what is not allowed in some areas, made me look up Los Angeles. No frozen/micowaveable boxes (we live on Lean Cuisine and love the occasional toaster waffle, and all our boxes have gone into the blue can) or books. I was surprised by both items.

 

[clifffaith]

I posted on Nextdoor about the Lean Cuisine boxes, giving the link I found from the DWP website (Department of Water & Power bills for solid waste too in our area--it's what came up first when I googled). Two days later someone commented and that LA Department of Sanitation (the trash collectors) has a differing list. Sure enough frozen food boxes are mentioned by name on the OK list! My research ends there, opting to do what we've always done with the boxes, into the blue can they go.