I sometimes worry I am using too many resources (water, natural gas to heat said water, etc.) cleaning my recyclables before putting them in the recycle bin. How clean do they need to be? At what point to you just toss a container in the trash because it’s too much effort to clean (e.g., peanut butter jar)?
I shove them into the dishwasher if they cannot be easily rinsed.
^^ I’ve done that too. I don’t worry about getting them squeaky clean - should I???
Apparently it depends where you live. This link allows you to input your zipcode for your areas rules.
http://search.earth911.com/
I’m not having the best luck with this link actually helping much.
Here is a myth buster for recycling rules. It’s a good article.
https://ecomyths.org/2013/10/30/myth-you-must-rinse-all-containers-before-recycling-them/
The “must rinse” rule is more about not having to deal with the varmint all these dirty containers can attract than recyclability.
I rinse things out and put some stuff in the dishwasher but I don’t go crazy about it.
Although it’s been a while since we had pizza delivered, I always wondered about pizza boxes. Some people say you shouldn’t recycle them because of all the melted cheese/grease on them.
I went to a recycling facility on a warm day ( it wasn’t a hot summer day) and the smell was horrible. I can only imagine how bad it must smell in the summer! Rinsing well would help keep the smell reduced.
I just rinse them and put in recycle bin in kitchen cabinet ( I have one of the two basket pullout cabinets.) Once it’s full, H puts the bag in the recycle barrel in garage.
The only container I toss is peanut butter. Not worth the bother getting it clean enough to recycle.
@teriwtt We rightly or wrongly recycle our pizza boxes but our pizza place isn’t so greasy and they use that paper sheet thingie between the box and the pizza which collects most of the residue.
How long do you rinse? Do you use hot water? Seems like you are wasting more natural resources than the actual act of recycling is worth.
Wouldn’t pizza boxes go to the compost pile?
Peanut butter jars would not have much in them if you scrape the last bits well.
Our town told us to just rinse how we normally would. No extra effort needed.
When I had a question about whether certain items were recyclable, a selectman told me, “Well, if I have any doubt, I put the item in the recyclable container, not the trash can.” All right, then! So I don’t worry about getting my choices perfect.
We have to purchase special trash bags from our town. They’re about $2.50 each - good incentive to recycle. Thank goodness we have a trash compactor!
I haven’t looked really hard for the answer, but my question is along the lines of some posters above–If I have to get hot water to my kitchen tap, clean something like a peanut butter jar, open my door and let out heat to get to the recycling container and let out heat when I take the recycling, start my gas car and drive to recycling–it’s this a net win for recycling or just a “feel good” thing? We also have to sort all recyclables so it takes more effort and space.
I think recycling can really vary from place to place as mentioned in the article @sax linked above. In my town, we recycle cardboard so that’s where the pizza boxes go, just like a cardboard box from Amazon.
Like @MaineLonghorn we just have to rinse. I don’t live in the same town as she does but I wouldn’t be surprised if our recycling winds up in the same place eventually. Our peanut butter jars can hang out together. 
We have compost/mulch piles as well but nobody puts cardboard in there. I don’t do my own composting.
Our food scarps and paper food containers go into the yard waste bin.
Which is great for those of you who have never dealt with rats. Unless your food/ yard waste is steel and sealed, you will get to know Sr Raton.
Yeah, we have too many of Sr. Raton’s country cousins (field mice, squirrels, chipmunks, skunks, fox, coyotes, bear, fishers, porcupines, etc.). I’m not composting and leaving more food for them although I know others do.
We have rats, but we also have coyotes in our neck of the woods. We don’t eat enough pizza (in fact, none whatsoever) to worry about that. Plus, if it does not go into the yard waste, it would go into the trash… The bin looks exactly the same, just different color. None have any teeth marks on.
Squirrels are a bigger issue here. They are rats with bushy tails.
Wouldn’t leave my trash out either. Can’t even leave birdseed out these days. Too many bears.