how clean is clean enough for the recycle bin?

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Have any of you wondered about this too?  Whenever I recycle used food containers like from my rice milk or maple syrup I always stop for a minute and have the same thought: Yes these things are recyclable but what about the food residue that I can't get off? I mean have you ever tried getting every last bit of maple syrup cleaned out of a container? It can be an all-morning activity if you let it!  Obviously I want to recycle everything I can but I've always feared that leaving any leftover residue on containers would make them un-recyclable. Plus cleaning your empties just seems like the polite thing to do right?

What's worse I heard a rumor somewhere that if you put any containers with residue in a recycling bin it can compromise the entire bin to the point where nothing from that bin can be recycled. Even just the thought that this might be true has made me scrub every recyclable container until it was purged from any trace of food that might have ever touched it.  But this can become a lot of work so I finally decided to do a little research and get to the bottom of this question once and for all.
 
The good news is that I wasn't able to find any information out there to support the "contaminated bin" myth. That said every area has its own procedures and regulations for what it recycles and how so it's always best to learn the dos and don'ts of your specific recycling program.  One easy way to do this is visit Earth911.com and enter your zip code to get a full list of recycling programs and centers in your area – with links to their websites and contact info.  Then you can research your programs individually and find out what they can and can't work with. I print a list of all the stuff that's recyclable in our area and post it near my bins at home so that everyone in my household is aware. Earth911.com also has a lot of other great general info and tips for recyclers. 
 
This aside I did learn a few general guidelines about recycling that helped put things in perspective. First there are a lot of steps your recyclable waste goes through between when your bin at home gets picked up and the end result. It is sorted transported resorted and processed often multiple times. Usually most if not all of these steps involve various cleaning processes. Most "single stream" recycling programs where donors put all types of recyclables in a single bin have accounted for the fact that not every can or bottle they receive is going to be as squeaky clean as I make mine and have implemented appropriate steps into their process.
 
So great we're all off the hook right? Not exactly. The fact is at many points along the recycling chain the materials will sit around for days weeks or even months at a time which means that your residual tomato sauce on the inside of that jar is getting grosser stinkier and more bacterial by the day.  Now multiply that by hundreds of tons.  This not only makes things more disgusting for the recycling facility workers it's pretty tough low-paying work even on a good day it can attract all kinds of rats and other critters. So while it's not absolutely necessary to scrub away every last piece of residue a nice considerate effort to make your items somewhat presentable before you toss them in the bin is appreciated.
 
But… yes there's one more but… Keep in mind that the more thoroughly you wash these recyclables the more water you're using and potentially wasting so don't go overboard and try to scrub them til their sterile.  Recycling centers are not hospitals so just give your recyclables a quick courtesy rinse and get rid of as much food as you can before you toss it in the bin.  As always it's about balancing cleanliness and conservation with a little bit of kindness.

What kind of recycling program do you have in your area?