You may have heard that if you don't wash your recyclables properly, they won't end up being recycled – but how true is this?
While most of us give our jars and tins a swirl of water before popping them in the bin, it raises the question of how clean they actually have to be – and whether a bit of residue really makes a difference under the new recycling rules.
To get to the bottom of this commonly asked question – and to find out whether items like greasy pizza boxes and hard-to-clean coffee pods can be recycled – we spoke with two waste experts.
Article continues belowDo you have to wash recycables?
Yes, it's always a good idea to wash and squash your recycling where possible, confirms Hannah Deas, external communications manager at Bristol Waste Company.
"We always recommend residents to wash their recycling – you can use water from your washing up to be extra green and reduce water usage," she explains. "A proper wash and squash improves the quality of the recycling materials, keeps people's recycling containers clean, eliminates smells, and reduces the risk of attracting pests [in your bins]."
"It also helps keep our crews safe and makes their jobs much more pleasant. It can be easy to forget that there are human beings who are loading our recycling into the trucks, often by hand. We appreciate people taking the time to give their recycling a quick rinse!"
That said, while there might be a moral duty, there is no actual legal requirement to do so (yet).
Hannah Deas is the External Communications Manager at Bristol Waste Company and has been part of the team for almost five years, helping to make Bristol safer, cleaner, and more sustainable.
How do you clean recyclables?
When it comes to how clean your recyclables need to be, a quick rinse will suffice, according to Sean Martins, director of sales & marketing at Fresh Start Waste Services. Contrary to some people's belief, you don't need to scrub them spotless or put them through your dishwasher.
"One of the unintended consequences of the 'everything must be perfectly clean' message is that some people stop recycling altogether because they think it is too much hassle," he explains. "Others go too far the other way and use lots of hot water, detergent and energy to wash things that really do not need it."
Sean Martins is Director of Sales & Marketing at Fresh Start Waste Services, a North West-based waste and recycling business working across the commercial, construction and facilities management sectors. With nearly 20 years of experience in the industry, Sean specialises in helping businesses improve recycling performance, reduce waste costs and better understand where their waste actually ends up.
Do recycling centres reject entire batches if one item is dirty?
No, it’s very unlikely that a recycling centre will reject an entire batch just because one item is slightly dirty. Sean explains that modern facilities are used to dealing with a bit of contamination and know that household recycling is never going to arrive perfectly clean.
"What causes problems is when there is enough of the wrong thing mixed in. If lots of households put food waste, nappies, black bags of general rubbish or leaking containers into their recycling, then the whole load can start to smell, leak and become uneconomic to sort," he says.
While a slightly dirty tin probably won’t result in a rejected batch, it’s easy enough to do your part and give it a quick rinse. Sean adds that batches are more likely to be rejected when something hazardous – such as batteries, gas canisters, or a dirty paint tin – is mixed in and pose a safety risk. If you're wondering how to recycle building materials, our guide can help.
"One of the highest causes of fires within waste wagons and in recycling facilities is vapes and items containing lithium batteries – these should always be disposed of correctly by either giving back to vape shops who are now legally obliged to take them, or at household recycling centres," he adds.
What about coffee pods and greasy pizza boxes?
We now know that it’s best to rinse our recycling, but what about items like greasy pizza boxes that can’t be washed?
Sean says, "A pizza box with a bit of grease on the lid will usually still be recycled if it goes in the right bin. The only time I would say not to recycle it is if the box is soaked through or still has half the pizza in it. In that case, tear off the clean part and recycle that."
Whether coffee pods can be recycled is another hot debate. The good news is that many recycling centres will accept your used coffee pods (both plastic and aluminium) for free under the Podback service – you just need to drop them off. You can also do this at many supermarkets if it's easier.
"If everyone put half-full tins, leftover food and leaking bottles into their recycling, the whole load would quickly become unpleasant and much harder to process. So the public message has to be simple: empty it, give it a quick rinse, then recycle it," concludes Sean Martins.
For more recycling advice, read our guide on what can and can't go in your recycling bin and how to manage waste when you don't have any outdoor space.
