What is the best way to dispose of out of date tinned food?

Question

I have discovered some tinned tuna with a use-by date of 2004 in a friend's cupboard! Is it better just to throw away the tins unopened, or would it be better to open them and flush away the contents then recycle the tins?

(ps I am a bit worried about opening tinned fish that old, but don't particularly like the thought of it rotting away inside the tin forevermore either).

Answer 1

Well it will be very well preserved in the tin, so you may open the tin and get rid of the contetnts and recycle the tin. The fish will be of no harm to you so long as it hasn't been opened since 2004. If the tin is sealed, it is safe to throw away and recycle the tin. When recycling the tin, throw out the tuna and RINSE it out.

Great question too in the way you are actually making sure you do the environmentally correct thing for something so small!

Answer 2

Be very careful opening the tin!  Place the tin in a large bucket of water,  wear safety glasses, and open it slowly while it is submerged.  Often, expired cans are under pressure due to the decomposing contents.  You do not want to spray the kitchen with rotten food.   When the tin is disarmed and clean, you can then recycle it.

Answer 3

as long as the can or cans are not bubbled out at the ends they are safe to open,if the tins are buckled out it would indicate that they have spoiled ,to spoil it would need oxygen being a sealed tin there should be no chance of that,there have been cans of vegetables over 40 years old found in some homes that have been perfectly eatable with meat I would not be eating it but safe to flush and recycle the cans

Answer 4

Believe it or not, that tuna should be perfectly fine even in 2010. canned foods are sealed, sterile and air tight. There's no way it can spoil or mold.

Thats why people stock up on canned goods if they think there'll be some kind of disaster or war. they last for a long long time. those "best by" dates don't matter on cans

You should only be concerned if they are puffed up or dented