Is washing chicken containers for recycling just as bad as washing raw chicken in the sink?

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Aggravating_Band_353@reddit

Bin. But tbh, from the comments you might as well put into the recycling, a lot of it sounds contaminated and unrecyclable. I would avoid rinsing it tho. If you do, maybe fill the sink and gently submerge?

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HarissaPorkMeatballs@reddit

Dunk in hot water, rather than run under tap.

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APiousCultist@reddit

How water won't be hot enough to kill bacteria unless you live under immense pressure, so that just seems like it'd be spreading the bacteria over the basin still

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HarissaPorkMeatballs@reddit

I thought the washing up liquid was a given

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OddCowboy123@reddit (OP)

true, I always wash under running water tho.

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dinobug77@reddit

Seems an excessive waste of water…

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InternationalNinja29@reddit

I've washed mine out in the sink for years and no problems so far.

I think you're probably worrying too much. Just don't turn the tap on full blast and I think you'll be fine.

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First-Mistake9144@reddit

Lol next time shine a torch or something on the area.

Everything you will inevitable see is still not a fraction of what is spreading

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BitterOtter@reddit

And yet I'm 50 and still very much alive and have never had food poisoning from anything other than take away meals (one reason I rarely eat takeaways any more). You do you my guy, and enjoy shining your torch around.

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InternationalNinja29@reddit

I don't think a torch is going to show much up...

I mean if you're not spraying water around the place and you regularly clean your work surfaces you're going to be okay. I mean assuming you're washing your hands and not licking the sink.

You can be too worried about things.

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First-Mistake9144@reddit

You don’t think light shows water splashes more?

Every single health organisation strongly recommends against it. I’ll take there advice over yours.

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InternationalNinja29@reddit

Can you link me to a health organisation telling you to not wash out food containers?

Food.gov.uk tells you to wash them with warm soapy water and dry them naturally.

But you do you shining your torch around to find water splashes.

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First-Mistake9144@reddit

My apologies I thought it was about washing chicken. It’s been a long day.

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BitterOtter@reddit

Same here. I turn the tap on very low to get some water in to swill it out first, then some more to finally rinse off, job done. Always wash utensils etc with hot water and dish soap, and never once had a problem. I am definitely careful to avoid splashes when I wash the chicken container in the sink, but it sounds like some people are taking it a bit far, but if it makes them happy then fair play to them.

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dom_eden@reddit

People are so unbelievably anal about this stuff. Rinse under tap, leave to drip dry overnight, put in recycling the next day. Get a grip. And yes I’m still alive!

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Superspark76@reddit

Raw meat containers go straight into general rubbish for me.

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NoFuel6380@reddit

Yeah, I'm not washing it for risk of cross-contamination.

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InternationalNinja29@reddit

By that logic I assume you also throw away the chopping boards after you've used them?

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NoFuel6380@reddit

Nope. I open the dishwasher before I start preparing raw meat, once I'm done the chopping board and knife goes straight from the bench to dishwasher. I don't ever hand wash things that come into contact raw meat. I've been sick from salmonella before, so I'm very cautious about cross contamination.

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king_sllim@reddit

Yeah that's not raw meats fault. You won't get sick if you wash things properly. Amount of times my friends run a sponge on a knife and think it's done is laughable.

Never had a dishwasher, never got sick from cross contamination. Good hygiene and washing skills in the kitchen are far superior and quicker than dishwashers.

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-Po-Tay-Toes-@reddit

I'll agree with most of what you said. But dishwashers are genuinely better at cleaning things (that are actually dishwasher safe) because they get hot enough to sanitise stuff, which you can't do by hand washing.

But yes, just clean your kitchen and you'll be fine regardless.

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Miserable-Ad7835@reddit

You're being very over cautions there, to be fair.

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IanM50@reddit

And when I move dirty stuff around in the dishwasher, I always wash my hands afterwards in case I have touched something with raw chicken on it. Salmonella poisoning is no joke, it almost killed a relative of mine.

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Cute_Researcher_6578@reddit

It makes sense anyway, even if no chicken in there, the pots are dirty and could be in there a good number of hours until you turn it on. You are being sensible!

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Cute_Researcher_6578@reddit

If you've ever had food poisoning, you'll realise that it is not being over cautious (even if it was not your own fault) - you vow to yourself that it's never going to happen again.

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nathan_l1@reddit

Good way to destroy your knives quicker 🤷

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hoodie92@reddit

And chopping board.

Unless it's made of glass. Which is of course the worst chopping board material.

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RaspberryJammm@reddit

I'm presuming plastic

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hoodie92@reddit

Plastic also gets fucked in the dishwasher tbh

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Raunien@reddit

I don't know why you're being downvoted for perfectly reasonable precautions around raw meat. I handle the meat with one hand and the knife with the other. Once the meat is chopped, I wash my hands then scrape the meat off the chopping board into the cooking the vessel usimg the knife, holding the chopping board by the handle. At no point do my clean hands re-contact any meat or meat-contaminated surface.

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Groxy_@reddit

Lmao how have you got salmonella in this day and age? Just cook your food all the way through.

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NoFuel6380@reddit

It was 12 years ago and I was a dumb 18 year old I had just moved out of my parents for uni. I didn't know jack about food hygiene beyond don't eat raw meat. I don't know how it happened, but I got a learned a lesson.

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Groxy_@reddit

Fair enough, I highly doubt it was from washing chicken containers or I would've had salmonella every year or so.

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nonotthereta@reddit

You wash your chicken containers once a year? What's the occasion?

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squashedfrog92@reddit

For the Christmas gravy, surely?

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whiskitforabiscuit@reddit

You can also put the packaging in the dishwasher though.

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GreyScope@reddit

I don’t use a chopping board for mine, I use a pair of steel tongs and some kitchen scissors and cut the meat up and put it back into its plastic container (then onto my cooking vessel of choice) . This way I don’t touch the chicken with my hands and the tongs/scissors go into the dishwasher el pronto.

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takesthebiscuit@reddit

I just rinse in the sink and put in recycling, never any problems

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BeardyGeoffles@reddit

...that you can see!

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takesthebiscuit@reddit

I’m not living in fear of some random chicken microbes! My body has robust defences, and I clean my kitchen after cooking.

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Iasc123@reddit

This is the correct way to dispose of plastics that you cannot be arsed to clean. Good job!

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onionsofwar@reddit

You can recycle them too now

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enygma999@reddit

Do you handle raw chicken with your hands? Or use utensils to cut/prepare it? How do you deal with cleaning up? Soap and water, presumably. Right, so we've established we can wash contaminated things, so do that with the containers too. Turn the tap on low so it doesn't splash much, and maybe use a little soap so your sink stays clean. Personally I do the washing up straight afterwards, so the sink isn't "contaminated" for long.

The whole "don't wash chicken" thing came about because the Americans think they need to, because their food safety standards are awful and they think it'll get contaminated by dirt and feathers in the factory. That won't fly here, so it's unnecessary and miiiiight splash a bit if you're not careful. Because it's unnecessary, don't do it. With containers, you should wash them before recycling, so is necessary. Do do it.

People really need to relax a bit about germs and infections. Yes, be clean, but we've gone too far and we're weakening our immune systems through lack of exposure while creating stronger bugs by killing off the weak ones. The world is gross place, go give it a hug. And then have a shower, because grossness.

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I_ALWAYS_UPVOTE_CATS@reddit

So many precious people in these comments. I wash chicken containers in the sink with antibacterial washing up liquid, then I chuck them in the recycling. You know how many times I've had food poisoning? Zero.

Who the fuck even washes raw chicken anyway?

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Humpback_Mac@reddit

I just give em a little dip in the washing up water, AFTER i've finished washing up

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-mmmusic-@reddit

i have a utility room and another sink in there, so i rinse them out in there. that one's the 'dirty sink' that's used for all sorts

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Iasc123@reddit

Chicken is slimy when raw, even worse when defrosted. I rinse that shit off, removing any oozing fat / clots coming out the breasts. I wash up by hand, so I simply put the container in the bowl of soapy water. I don't have the luxury of having a dishwasher.

If you don't wash your dirty recycling, it contaminates other recycling. If you dispose of your bacteria infested recycling in the general waste, you're promoting the spread of bacteria. This is why we have the glorious invention of soap.

Regardless, it's up to you how you want to prep your chicken. But, clean the recyclable container if you recycle / Dispose of it in your general waste, if you don't mind having bacteria festing in your general household waste.

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RJUU91@reddit

Hold on, why would you need to wash raw chicken in the first place? I assume people that do this aren’t just forever dropping their pieces of chicken in dirt or whatever, but that they’re washing them straight out of the container?

I’ve literally never done this and as far as I’m aware, I’ve faced no consequences for this. I just take pieces of chicken breast out of the containers they came in or that I’ve frozen them in, cut them into smaller pieces and cook?

Am I missing a step here or something?

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inide@reddit

It's an American thing.
I don't blame them. The Americans dunk the raw chickens in a chlorine bath on the production line to disinfect them, I imagine that'd leave a bit of a funky taste if any residue remained on the chicken.

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Frodo34x@reddit

No more than the funky taste we get from the chlorine washes our lettuce gets. The problem with chlorine washing meat - the explicit reason why it's not allowed for import to the EU - is because of risk compensation and a fear that it's not sufficient disinfection alone. There's no issues with "chlorine left on the meat".

Also, washing chicken is much more of a black American thing than a general American thing; it's not a response to late stage capitalist food practices but a long cultural practice related to poverty and the like.

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DefStillAlive@reddit

It's more because chlorination is associated with poor animal welfare standards - if you raise chickens in crappy conditions they will have very high levels of bacteria, but chlorination masks that so encourages poor farming practices

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First-Lengthiness-16@reddit

You are supposed to wash lettuce.

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baldeagle1991@reddit

I thought it was specifically an African American and Black British thing?

I remember seeing some tiktoks a year or two back where the black community was losing their mind that white people didn't wash their chicken before cooking it.

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RaspberryJammm@reddit

I think they mean a different thing by wash and tend to use lime juice if I recall

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First-Lengthiness-16@reddit

It’s also a black British thing, both African and Caribbean. I am pretty sure that many (if not most) black people you know do this.

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dom_eden@reddit

I never wash it either, it’s getting cooked anyway

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tradandtea123@reddit

I think op is saying don't do it. There are some people, often older and stuck in their ways, who do. I saw this discussion on my local Facebook page about it and one person claimed not washing chicken was woke, which I would say was one of the stupidest things I've ever read but tbh I've read much worse nonsense recently.

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atomicsiren@reddit

Some people seem to think that rinsing it under the tap kills bacteria that heating it to 180°C doesn’t. 😂

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Dedward5@reddit

Other countries and cultures do, you see the occasional Reddit freak out about washing or not washing chicken and other meats.

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seven-cents@reddit

Other countries and cultures do

It's only the people in the USA who are weird about this

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OddCowboy123@reddit (OP)

I never wash chicken. I'm just referring to the common knowledge that says you should never wash chicken because the splashes spread bacteria etc

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NinetysRoyalty@reddit

Good, I’m not the only one stuck on that part. OP why are you washing chicken?

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nicthemighty@reddit

It's a generational thing, typically heard in American households. Some rumours are it was more prevalent in communities that had to eat cheaper cuts of meat (sometimes of questionable origin) which typically needed rinsing due to smell or dirt.

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History_86@reddit

Just put them in the bin. They get washed in a power washer anyways. Same with tins don’t bother rinsing them out.

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OddCowboy123@reddit (OP)

That's kind of gross though. I don't do it for the benefit of recycling, its so that my own recycling bins stay clean and the foxes/cats/birds/flies don't pick at it and make a mess, and also potential smells and germs esp in hot weather

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tdic89@reddit

I give raw meat containers a quick wash under the hot tap, especially chicken and fish, as it helps prevent the bin from smelling like satan’s grotty arm pit.

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louse_yer_pints@reddit

I wash them in a sink full of hot water with washing up liquid so no splashing about and the detergent kills bacteria.

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CPH3000@reddit

Wash it in hot soapy water then it ticks all boxes.

When people put unwashed food packaging items in the bin - recycling or general - it makes the bin smell.

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Nod_Bow_Indeed@reddit

Yes in theory, I just rinse with water trying to minimise any splashing.

I do it after I've finished eating, as I'm cleaning down the work surfaces anyway afterwards.

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ashakespearething@reddit

Exactly...surely when everyone finishes cooking they're wiping down their worktops anyway so what's the issue

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ToThePillory@reddit

It's really just about how much you splash. There is nothing risky about washing chicken (though I don't) if you aren't splashing water everywhere. If you put it under a gently running tap, give it a bit of a rub, and then straight into the cooking dish, then there is no real risk.

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quellflynn@reddit

hot water rinse makes the dog less likely to find it interesting

I don't get ill from random minute splashes of chicken splash.

nor should you

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First-Lengthiness-16@reddit

How big a splash is needed to transfer salmonella do you think?

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quellflynn@reddit

dunno, the more the worse / quicker I assume. but I've rinsed out meat containers for years and don't get ill.

I can only speak to myself and my families experience ofc

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Asher-D@reddit

I throw it in the same place I throw food and other general waste, I don't even bother because I figure I'd have to wash it with soap and water to get all the food grease out and I don't feel like it.

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Dan10611@reddit

I spray the container with disinfectant, then rinse it with the hose outside my kitchen. Then it goes straight into the recycling bin.

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No_Preference9093@reddit

Mine go straight in the bin, but that’s because my local council can’t deal with anything being recycled that isn’t bottle shaped.

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grafeisen203@reddit

Rinsing recycling is mostly a waste of time in general. Some places require it, but all plastic/metal/glass recycling that is actually recycled (instead of just landfilled) is industrially washed anyway.

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khime@reddit

I don't know where you got this info from, you should definitely rinse all the containers before recycling.

I've been to a recycling centre for a visit and the smell is not great. There are actual people sorting the rubbish out by hand. Really feel for the people working there.

Anything you can do to reduce the amount of smelly liquids before it gets to the final stages will help.

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Traditional-Ice9940@reddit

I put them straight into recycling...is that bar? Genuine question

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DrachenDad@reddit

washing raw chicken in the sink?

Who does that?

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First-Lengthiness-16@reddit

Loads of folk, disproportionately black folk.

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Pargula_@reddit

If this was a real risk I would have gotten sick thousands of times by now.

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First-Lengthiness-16@reddit

True man. Same with this smoking lie. If it was really bad for you I would be dead by now.

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arenaross@reddit

People sticking packaging in a dishwasher. Reddit is brilliant. What an app.

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Greybur@reddit

What sort of a knobhead washes things that are going into the bin?

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I_wanna_be_a_hippy@reddit

I usually let the dog lick it and then put it in the recycling

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ParsleyPractical6579@reddit

If you’re going to wash chicken or meat containers the key is to dunk it in a pre-filled sink or tub. I don’t wash pre-cut meat (unless it feels a bit slimy), but a whole chicken will definitely get a dunking.

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moo00ose@reddit

I’ve never even though about washing the containers I just throw them in the bin

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Grillenium-Falcon@reddit

Raw meat packaging gets placed to the side as I'm prepping and then washed along with other things as I go. Then placed in recycling.

If you clean as you go, you have no issues.

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Efficient-Lab@reddit

Maybe I’m grim, but I pop it in the catio and let the boyos go to town on the meat trays.

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CreativeAdeptness477@reddit

Wash what you like, just don't turn the tap on full blast and spray everywhere.

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srm79@reddit

Submerge in hot soapy water and scrub, rather than allow tap to pour water over it and splash

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essexboy1976@reddit

Well who uses soap or washing bup liquid to wash chicken 🤷

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SarkyMs@reddit

I put them straight in the dishwasher.

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PigHillJimster@reddit

I've not heard this until now. I have never washed out meat containers for recycling. I would have thought it would only be to discourage rodents and foxes and protect the people collecting the items from contamination?

In our town they just chuck the lot in the recycling truck and compress it down whilst the truck is still going around collecting new recycling waste.

There are rules that state just how much recycled plastic can be used for new food packaging and how much needs to be virgin plastic I know, but I am not aware of the exact figures.

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Pi3rre8ezukhov@reddit

I open all my meat as soon as I walk out of the supermarket. I strip off, do a rain dance and hold meat AND containers above my head in the car park. I put the containers straight into the car park recycling centre before running straight home to throw the raw meat straight into the designated freezer drawer that I left open before I made the shopping trip. When I want to cook with it, I empty the freezer drawer onto my outdoor barbecue and wait a mere 12 hours for the meat log to defrost and cook. Absolutely foolproof system. I’ve never had salmonella and I’ve only been cautioned twice.

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Majestic_Rhubarb_@reddit

You need to wash your chicken and containers with chlorine … then you don’t need to worry about the splashes.

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Lessarocks@reddit

I rinse mine but under a slow tap to reduce the risk of contamination. Just let the water fill the tray up and then tip it down the sink and repeat with a bit of washing up liquid in it. It’s really no different to washing chopping boards and cutlery that your raw chicken has come into contact with. I give the sink a quick spray with cleaner containing bleach afterwards.

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OddCowboy123@reddit (OP)

same here

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Master-Trick2850@reddit

I give it a rinse whilst trying to avoid splashes then bin it, more because theres usually meat juices/water in the container that end up smelling rank in summer and will attract flies/birds

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ldn-ldn@reddit

If washing chicken causes splashes of bacteria, you're doing it wrong.

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ChemicalOwn6806@reddit

We haven’t recycled anything since January, so it all goes in the same bin

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OddCowboy123@reddit (OP)

Why is that?

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fuzyfelt@reddit

Birmingham I'd guess. I've been to the tip a few times since Jan, but mostly all in the bin now.

All my rubbish is being picked up on time, but not recycling bins since Jan.

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Daggerbite@reddit

I don't think I've ever thought about not washing something because it will spray bacteria around, and I wash a lot of dog raw food stuff (lots of raw meat and blood). To be honest it doesn't splash anywhere and I'm still alive (so far)

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ResplendentBear@reddit

Our meat containers go in the bin. Might start cleaning and recycling beef ones but forget chicken. The carbon footprint of hospitalisation for salmonella can't be small.

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walking_chemist@reddit

I wash all meat trays in the separate sink in the utility room for this reason, have one of those sponge on a stick things with the washing up liquid in purely for this purpose. Then they go into the recycling bin

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CuriousThylacine@reddit

Yes. It is.

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MegaMolehill@reddit

I often just bung them in the dishwasher. Although if in the way they go straight to the bin. They are probably not even getting recycle anyway.

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liesinleaves@reddit

Yes if you run a tap on it and splash the contaminated water everywhere.

No if you wash them at the end of the sink load of washing up and drain them away from the clean stuff.

What's really disgusting and hazardous to workers is not washing them at all before recycling.

DO NOT WASH RAW CHICKEN!

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Johnnylemo@reddit

They're not recyclable here so they just go straight in the bin.

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Status-Screen-1450@reddit

I think the difference is that washing raw chicken is a net loss - it doesn't improve the cleanliness of your chicken meal once you've cooked, but does create a risk of splashing salmonella around. Washing your container has the same splash risk (although as others have said you can minimise that) but you have a net gain of clean packaging (which is a huge bonus in my part of the country where I have to sort my recycling by hand and do not want sticky chicken juice on everything)

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SpaTowner@reddit

Not necessarily the same splash risk. People who wash chicken seem to do so under a running tap. When I clean food containers I immerse them in a sink of hot water and detergent. Much less splashy.

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Jackop86@reddit

I just give them a dunk in the used washing up bowl before I pour it away. Rinsing them under the tap would surely spread germs all over the place.

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Impressive-Car4131@reddit

This works perfectly. Clean trays and no extra water or splashing

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deafearuk@reddit

Don't bother washing containers for recycling. It's a waste of time. That idea that if there is one unwashed item in the recycling the entire load is written off is not true. Just stick it in the recycling bin and move on with your day.

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Fit-Bedroom-7645@reddit

Does prevent a smelly bin though if you're recycling is not very frequent

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deafearuk@reddit

The recycling bin is outside, I don't spend a huge amount of time smelling it, open lid put in a load of recycling, close lid. 5 second max.

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Fit-Bedroom-7645@reddit

Fair enough, I've got a smaller bin inside that gets decanted in to the outside a few times a week.

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deafearuk@reddit

Same here, but anything that's had food in it goes in the rubbish bin, so the other bin just has cardboard, bottles and cans in it.

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OddCowboy123@reddit (OP)

I do it more to stop any off smells, and to not attract foxes/animals from picking at it which they do round my way!

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