To recycle steel cans, I rinse them out with water. I probably use about 6-8 oz. of water. Is it worth it?

Question

Also, how much do you have to rinse out plastic containers to be recycled?

Answer 1

heck no cuzz they end up washing them whe nthey get recycled.. dont rinse out anything.. they professionaly wash it

Answer 2

The most important reason why we all should  rinse our cans clean is for the stray animals outside where we put our recycled products.Dogs,cats squirrels,etc are attracted to the smell and can be seriously injured when trying to l**k the cans.Think how it would hurt YOU  to be cut with metal and not have access to healthcare. Thank you for rinsing.

Answer 3

The melting temperature of steel is around 2777 degrees F.

That heat will clean all the junk off the cans.

Don't waste your time or water.  

Answer 4

They are cleaned by machine at the steel mill when they are recycled.  I clean them by putting them in the dishwasher.  It uses the same amount of water every time it runs so adding cans to the load doesn't increase water use.  I do the same thing with glass jars.  

Answer 5

Before i recycle things, whether steel, plastic or otherwise, i wash them. Just wash them up when you do your dishes and cutlery and in the same water. No harm done, no water wasted.

Answer 6

Steel mills do not need to clean cans for remelting to make new steel. So nobody needs to wash them. Best solution is to crush them flat so they take up less room, and so flies can not get into them.

Answer 7

I agree with Mr?E

Answer 8

Fairfax County requests that all cans and bottles be rinsed before recycling so that the recycle people don't get stung by bees or hornets attracted by food/drink in the bin.  

Answer 9

I only ever wash out containers in dishwater that I'm about to dump down the drain, anyway.  I don't worry about getting them 'clean' - I just get the worst off so that they don't attract flies.  They get treated at the recycling plant so it's not worth using clean water on them.

Answer 10

It depends on where you recycle, the place I go doesn't require plastics to be rinsed. I also recommend not using fresh water, I use dish water after I've finshed washing the dishes.