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Like me you probably try pretty hard to recycle your plastic, metal and glass food containers.  But what about washing these items before putting them into the recycle bin? Have you ever wondered if this was necessary? And have you ever wondered about the potential water waste this might entail?  Well, these questions have been bothering me for a while now, so I finally decided to seek out some answers.

Here’s what I’ve learned: recycling facilities wash all containers as part of their process, so a thorough wash is unnecessary. What you should do however, is remove any large food particles that might go rancid prior to recycling and give the container a quick rinse. This is because the containers may sit around for weeks before being processed and the more food that clings to them the worse the odor is for the workers at the plant.

And here’s the other thing to remember: a large amount of water is saved by recycling because it bypasses the water-intensive process of manufacturing virgin materials – and this savings far outweighs the water used for rinsing. So go ahead – recycle and rinse guilt free!

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