I have certainly wondered this myself, so the question is worth sharing:
Green and confused: tin cans
The answer, however, does not start well. I frankly don't worry too much about some poor schmoe with their bottle of Fairy Liquid and scrubbing brush.
What my eye then alights upon is this: 'Also relatively clean tins make recycling easier and cheaper'. Ah.
Which follows: 'all tins that go for recycling pass through a washing, heating and crunching process which eliminates contamination from food and other products,'
Er... enviROI? What about the cumulative costs (to public pocket and planet) of all those individual sinks using water and/or heated at that? Versus a single, industrial system?
I don't know, so this Prof's Poser remains.
I do however note the conclusion: Recycling companies report that some people put their used tins in the dishwasher: that’s a bit extreme and a waste of energy. A good rinse should be enough.
Indeed. Of course, as one who has kept all his cans for years (well, the ones that slot into each other... I have a plan), I can confirm a wee splash of well-directed water as soon as the can is emptied and the food debris still soft, works a treat with all bar Stagg's chilli.
4 comments:
Can of baked beans? If you can open it at the bottom, do so. That's where the beans will be baked into a lump, with the juice on top. So when you pour it out, juice follows lump, and you've an empty can no sweat.
Can of beans? If you can open from the bottom, do so. That's where the beans will be baked into a lump. Open from the bottom, juice follows lump, empty can no sweat! Otherwise, you're fishing for the odd bean...
Rinsing cans, jars, bottles, cartons...
One litre of water (for examnple) will dilute 1cc of remnants by 1000. Or use 3 lots of 10cc to do the same. That 30cc can go in the cookpot, your drink, your cereal - no waste! Rinsing done, and the liquid contributes to your hydration and nutrition, not the sewage.
Great comments/ideas Anthony...tx.
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