Green Cleaning For Your Recycling Bins

It is important to clean out your recycling bins and recycling containers on a periodic basis. Food residue will eventually attract unwanted critters as well as bugs and even develop a pungent aroma. Keeping your recycling bins clean is an easy task; here are a number of ways to be green even when cleaning your recycling containers.

Keeping Recycling Bins Clean In The First Place

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so one of the best ways to keep your recycling containers clean is to clean waste before it hits the bin. Thoroughly washing all of your recyclables is much more than you really need to do; it is amazing how a quick rinse of your recyclables before you dispose of them will keep your recycling containers cleaner longer.

If you store recycling containers outside, you will want to use a container that has a drain to let rainwater flow out rather than accumulate in the bottom. You can also drill a small hole yourself into existing recycling bins. Either way, this will help keep your receptacles cleaner.

You can also use a liner in your recycling bins just like a normal waste can. The only catch is if you sort your recyclables, you have to make sure to not throw away a plastic liner along with your newspaper or glass bottle recycling. In the end, it is easier to keep recycling bins with liners clean.

Green Cleaning Products To Use On Your Recycling Containers

Since you’ve embraced green living by participating in a recycling program, you might as well continue that trend by using green cleaning products on your bins. Baking soda makes for an excellent natural cleaner that can be found in nearly every home.

To clean recycling bins with baking soda, sprinkle a light coating into the bin itself. Dampen the baking soda and then lightly scrub the interior of the container with a rag or floor mop. Use a hose to spray rinse out the bin and then leave the container in the sun, on its side, to dry.

Creating Green Cleaners From Things Around The House

There are numerous household items that you can use as a cleaner without dumping chemicals and toxins into the environment. Vinegar is a good all purpose cleaner that you can use on your recycling bins. Mix a quarter cup of distilled white vinegar with a quart of water to make a quick and easy all purpose cleaner. Using hot water works even better if you want to make the mixture fresh for a specific cleaning job, but making a large batch and leaving it at room temperature works well too.

If you miss the scents and fragrances of most cleaners, you can easily make your own scented, green cleaners. Adding just one drop of essential oils (found in natural food stores) to your cleaning solution will give you the scent you are used to. You can even add a dash of lemon juice to achieve a similar affect.

Green cleaning and recycling go hand in hand — combining both of them is a big step in the direction of living a greener life.