A confession: Sometimes recycling seems to be more trouble than it's worth.
There, I've said it.
Recycling is good. It helps reduce the waste sent to landfills. It gives a few people jobs. I try to recycle as much as I can. But, sometimes I wonder if cleaning out a bottle or container is creating more water/energy waste than I'm saving by recycling my bottles.
For instance, it takes a good bit of water to fully clean out the bottle of conditioner I use. I fill, shake, dump. Fill, shake, dump. Repeat. I don't know if I'm helping or hurting the planet when I re-cyle my bottle of conditioner. But I do.
The same problem happens with plastic peanut butter jars. Peanut butter is very sticky stuff (as if anyone didn't already know that). And getting the jar clean enough to recycle was always a challenge until I accidentally began using this method. It works very well. It isn't such a chore anymore and I don't think I'm wasting as much water to get the jars clean.
So, here's what I do...
1. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and get out as much peanut butter as humanly possible. You can make at least half a sandwich from the leftover peanut butter on the sides and bottom of a jar.
2. Squirt a small bit of
Dawn Dishwasing Liquid* into the jar.
3. Fill 2/3 full with hot water.
4. Replace lid on jar. Shake.
5. Leave jar on counter overnight. Shake again a few times as you think of it or have time.
6. The next morning the majority of the remaining peanut butter will be floating in the water, not sticking on the jar. A quick swipe with a dishrag and your plastic peanut butter jar will be clean
*I prefer
Dawn for this because it is so much better at cutting through grease.
This
works for me.
Have a good tip that works for cleaning out conditioner bottles?
Posts
