Do you recycle pet food cans?

Question

Do you think it is ok to place these in the recycle box without washing or would this attract flies/other vermin. I cannot bring myself to wash these as the smell on washing is quite revolting.

Also, is it environmentally sound to use/waste water/energy washing our cans/glassware for recycling - any suggestions for conserving energy because if energy is wasted then such recycling defeats the purpose surely. Thanks for your input.

Answer 1

yes

Answer 2

All you have to do is rinse them you dont have to wash them... but you should recycle alllllllllllllllll cans.

Answer 3

Although it is nicer to gather a group of cans, put them in a sink of water and then recycle, the Humane Society boxes take them however.

Answer 4

I live in Scotland so dont pay extra if i use more water

So i just rinse them out best i can with cold water as i dont want to have them sitting around untill i do the washing up and washing them out properly after doing the dishes.

That seams to be pretty good at getting rid of the smell.

If you used hot water just for the cans then it would be wasting eergy but not as much as takes to make the can from scratch.

The little pouches for cat food , i just throw them in the bin

Answer 5

We always wash ours cans before they go in the box - otherwise they start to smell, especially in the summer. We wash all of our recyling stuff at the end of our washing up after our evening meal, thus not using any additional water - just the stuff we are about to throw down the drain anyway!

It's got to be greener, just wish they collected plastic on the doorstep as having to take it to the recycling centre sometimes means a special trip - definitely not green!

Answer 6

I think they need to be rinsed, I use the water from my washing up, put the can in the sink and pour the washing up water into it, then swirl it around a bit!  It will definitely attract flies without being washed.  I also tear off the paper labels and recycle them in the paper box.