water to wash out jars with stuck on food...

[aweynsayl]

i read something that said it was less worth using up the water than just tossing the jar. any thoughts? i'm thinking jars with lots of greasy stuff, like PB....? i live in AZ, so it kind of makes sense to me, but i hate to toss the jars! :

[AlbertaJes]

I give the PB jar to my dog to clean out.

[pumpkin]

DH and I are constantly debating this.

I wish I knew the right thing to do.

Where my sister lives, they won't take a can or jar that has any hint of residue. If a single item in the bin isn't sparkling clean they won't take the recycling that week.

here they take everything, but I'm not certain that everything actually gets recycled.

[Juvysen]

In AZ, it's probably a bigger issue than here in NY. I dont really know, though. Maybe use greywater to clean the recycling?

[aweynsayl]

Originally Posted by pumpkin

here they take everything, but I'm not certain that everything actually gets recycled.

i hear that if ANYTHING in the "batch" has any contaminent, they DUMP THE WHOLE BATCH. sad.

Originally Posted by Juvysen

In AZ, it's probably a bigger issue than here in NY. I dont really know, though. Maybe use greywater to clean the recycling?

yeah, it was in an AZ paper. i think for pb, because it's so oily and hard to get out, i might dump those. i always get so fed up trying to get them clean! (i should say, too, it's not really pb, it's sunbutter... if it was pb, i'd just use the grind your own, and it wouldnt be an issue! sigh.)

[DevaMajka]

I put my recycling containers in the dishwater after I'm done with the dishes. I let them soak for a minute, and wipe them out and they are clean. I don't rinse them (hopefully that's ok!) so I don't use any extra water.

[lilylove]

Sometimes I leave them in the sink then pour boiling water in them that's left over from something I cooked (like pasta), let it sit awhile then maybe rinse it again if it needs it.

[thixle]

Originally Posted by lilylove

Sometimes I leave them in the sink then pour boiling water in them that's left over from something I cooked (like pasta), let it sit awhile then maybe rinse it again if it needs it.

:
Gets pb out in micro seconds. Let it cool off a bit, then cap, shake, dump. Ta Da!
Surely it takes more water and power to make a whole new jar than the 1/2 cup of pasta water (heck, even fresh water) to rinse it

[EnviroBecca]

I've been reading that glass recycling is not as energy-efficient as we'd like because of the weight of the glass and thus the amount of fuel needed to transport it, compared to alumnum or plastic. In places with a water shortage, this might be a valid point.

I like the ideas for cleaning jars with water that's about to go down the drain!

My glass jars and bottles get recycled only if they're an awkward shape for reusing. (For example, a Pace salsa bottle is a shape that gets stuff caught inside the rim; I do not want to clean it over and over again!) I use bottles to carry juice for my lunch at work. I use jars to store leftovers, food from open packages (cheese stays fresh longer in a jar than in its original plastic), and foods I buy in bulk from my co-op.

[BlessedOne]

you could always save rain water to fill the jar and let it stand.

Plus some pb rinses better than others.......

I just throw my in the dish washer with my other stuff. I know some people are not fond of dishwashers...but that is one thing that is not leaving me!!!

My recycling center has a 5% rule...meaning if no more than 5% of it is dirty then they do not mind.

You could also use a wet rag to wipe it out.

I personally would rather use a bit more water, than throw it in a landfill!

It will NEVER leave the landfill.......we are working on harvesting more water from currently undrinkable sources.........so the water issue is not as big of a deal.
Besides that, we have oceans full of water....*wink* ....lol

[BlessedOne]

Originally Posted by BlessedOne

you could always save rain water to fill the jar and let it stand.

Plus some pb rinses better than others.......

I just throw my in the dish washer with my other stuff. I know some people are not fond of dishwashers...but that is one thing that is not leaving me!!!

My recycling center has a 5% rule...meaning if no more than 5% of it is dirty then they do not mind.

You could also use a wet rag to wipe it out.

I personally would rather use a bit more water, than throw it in a landfill!

It will NEVER leave the landfill.......we are working on harvesting more water from currently undrinkable sources.........so the water issue is not as big of a deal.
Besides that, we have oceans full of water....*wink* ....lol

*raises hand*
I know! I know!

save all of your jars and plan a trip to the ocean and the rinse them as you play!....lol Maybe the salt would help clean them

[lilyka]

Originally Posted by AlbertaJes

I give the PB jar to my dog to clean out.

I have started doing this too. as a matter of fact she really has love for the recycling bin . . . .

I don't use a dishwasher so I just wash them at the end of doing dishes, don't go too crazy making them sterile and don't bother rinsing.

[USAmma]

I don't have a dog but when I did, she also used to clean out the PB jar. lol!

As for the others, just soak them in water overnight and the stuff will come right out with a bottle brush. Throw the used water on the garden or something.

[hipmummy]

i usually leave them in the sink for a day or two and plug the drain so all of our dishwashing and handwashing h2o cleans the jars. i also use a bucket in the shower to collect h2o that would go down the drain and srick jars in that. Most jars we reuse. It is just the greasy PB ones that we get rid of and some sauce containers.

[Ruthla]

I add them to my dishwasher.

[Jojo F.]

Reuse the jars? I hate spending the time to clean them just to recycle them- and who knows if they actually get recycled- so I reuse them.

[kellynewcomer]

I am reusing so many jars, they are taking up all my cupboard space. Our kitchen is TINY! I need to start taking the jars with me to the coop now to buy bulk items (instead of putting the items in plastic bag at store).

[sunnysandiegan]

I make my own peanut butter and it is not that hard to wash out. I just grind dry roasted peanuts in my Vitamix (nothing added) and put the fresh peanut butter in two small jars. They stay fresher that way and I like my pb a little crunchier than DD & DH, who like it SUPER smooth. I run the jars through the dishwasher along with other dishes and they come out sparkling clean and ready for a new batch.

Cleaning the Vitamix after making pb is a bit more challenging than the usual cleaning routine. I add a bit more water and a drop or two more soap and I run the Vitamix on high longer than usual. Then, I actually use a rag inside the container with the hot dishwater. It rinses clean after that. (I don't usually need a rag or any manual cleaning efforts with my Vitamix.)

On the rare occasion we buy pb in plastic containers (group camping, large picnics), I don't wash those out to recycle due to all the gunk and how long it took me the one time I did do it. I wasted a ton of water to recycle that one plastic jar.

[Minerva]

I let them soak in the sink for a few hours, then add them to the next dishwasher load. If you just leave them under the faucet, they fill up in a handwash or two, so no extra water used.

[lotus.blossom]

PB is a tough on to clean. I would let mine sit in the sink for a few days soaking and scooping the residue. But then I figured it out. Use a silicone spatula and its scrapes it all out squeaky clean!