Waste...

[Arch]

As many of you will know, I collect kerbside recycling. People are supposed to rinse out tins and bottles and jars, but many don't.

I'm constantly amazed by the amount of food people waste by just throwing it away still attached to the container. Jars with enough jam left around the inside for another slice of toast. Veg oil bottles with enough oil for another saute. Quarter cans of drinks. Cans with a couple of mouthfuls of beans or spaghetti hoops...

I was brought up frugal, and I scrape or drain every bottle or tin or jar until it's virtually clean. Are people too lazy, or do they have too much money?

Are you a waster, or a miser in those terms?

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I'm the same as you in this respect. Marmite jars get rinsed with boiling water and the residue is either used as stock or drunk. Washing up liquid bottles are always stood on their lids to get the last bit out, then rinsed with hot water which is then added to the washing up bowl. I lick the sauce of the lids of baked bean cans and scrape the residue from the can with a spoon. It's my Yorkshire upbringing.

 

[beanzontoast]

+1 with the washing up liquid RT!

I always stand the sauce bottle upside down so I get every last bit out of it too..

 

[HelenD123]

I scrape and rinse jars, tins etc to get as much out as I can. I've also started cutting the end off tubes of moisturiser and toothpaste as there often lots left inside which won't come out the hole but can be scraped out.

 

[BrumJim]

I'm sure that I get more out of a toothpaste tube than the manufacturers put in there in the first place!

My latest miser action is to put all food scraps into the slops bin for composting. This includes the bread crumbs after cutting myself a slice. And even the crumbs left on work surfaces after cooking get dumped in the compost bin. How little difference does that make?

 

[ianrauk]

I clean all jars and bottles before they go in the recycling in. Mrs Ian doesn't and not only that is quite happy to throw them in the main rubbish bin rather the the recycling bin.. for which she gets a slapped botty..

 

[jeltz]

I'm also in the scrape, tap and drain every last bit camp and there is way too much waste in this country.

However the trouble with tins is they dictate portion size but are often more than say a child would want, if so why bother scraping if its not going to get eaten.

Use by dates also lead to members of my family tossing what I consider to be perfectly usable remnants of things in jars etc

 

[XmisterIS]

I am the child of an "older Mother", she was 38 when I was born, she was born in the early years of the second world war and so she was raised with rationing. As a result, she drummed into me the importance of waste not want not. For example, she absolutely hates it when people leave half a meal behind in a restaurant, as do I. She's of the school of thought that says, "you asked for it, you eat it!"

EDIT: Being as her Father was a Lancaster Bomber pilot, she still hasn't quite got her head round the fact that I am learning German, or that I have quite a few German and Austrian friends

 

[threebikesmcginty]

We don't waste anything in tins or jars - you'd need a lathe to get any more out!

Also clean them before recycling. On blue bin day (our recycling week) we always have a full bin although some of our neighbours seem unaware that it even exists - they're the ones with overflowing green bins the following week ... lazy b'stards!

As far as throwing food away goes - not in our house. We've made leftovers with leftovers.

 

[jeltz]

I am the child of an "older Mother", she was 38 when I was born, she was born in the early years of the second world war and so she was raised with rationing. As a result, she drummed into me the importance of waste not want not. For example, she absolutely hates it when people leave half a meal behind in a restaurant, as do I. She's of the school of thought that says, "you asked for it, you eat it!"

EDIT: Being as her Father was a Lancaster Bomber pilot, she still hasn't quite got her head round the fact that I am learning German, or that I have quite a few German and Austrian friends

But to avoid obesity people should stop eating when they start to feel full

 

[Paulus]

Same here Arch, nothing is wasted in my house. My parents were born in the 1920's, so as a child in the late 50's and 60's they instilled in me a sense of use everything and throw nothing away if it can be used, especially food. Don't get me started on sell by/use by and display until dates.

 

[HobbesChoice]

But to avoid obesity people should stop eating when they start to feel full

Or get them out on their bikes to work up a proper hunger and avoid obesity all in one little dose - marvellous!

 

[Davidc]

I'm with you all the way.

It's worth noting that years ago the EU got fed up with manufacturers making containers which couldn't be emptied, and so the E symbol with a quantity after it actually means the amount that can be extracted in normal use - so BrumJim may well be getting out more than the packet claims is in it!

My big gripe is with the amount of packaging used in the first place. Not only is it wasteful in itself it disguises a fair bit of product waste.

Not helped by having a local authority which doesn't collect for recycling: Cardboard; Plastic Bottles; Used batteries; Plastic film; Garden waste*.

*Garden waste is collected if you pay a large fee.

 

[Paulus]

But to avoid obesity people should stop eating when they start to feel full

Should they not then either buy less, cook less or keep leftovers for another day if possible.

 

[jeltz]

Should they not then either buy less, cook less or keep leftovers for another day if possible.

It was a litlle bit of devils advocate but in response to the comment about people leaving half a meal in a restaurant, which incidentally I will openly admit to doing often enough as many restaurants idea of portion size is IMHO totally OTT.