disposing of jars with failed seals?

[Midnightmom]

I did an inventory of my jars last week - not just to know how many of what I had, but also to check the seals.

Turns out I have 6 pint jars of meats that the seal failed on. 

 

How do I safely dispose of those jars???

[Littlesister]

Midnightmom, I had that happen to me. I double bag a couple of plastic bags and dump the food into that and then in trash can. It would go to the city dump.  Don't know of any other way to do it. Don't want to dump it down the garbage disposal as it could contaminate the water supply. I don't know if you could bury it as it would have to be deep enough that an animal wouldn't dig it up and eat it. I wash the jars and sterilize them with bleach water. Then put in the dishwasher. I wouldn't throw out the jars as you can clean them good for reuse. 

[Midnightmom]

4 hours ago, Littlesister said:

Midnightmom, I had that happen to me. I double bag a couple of plastic bags and dump the food into that and then in trash can. It would go to the city dump.  Don't know of any other way to do it. Don't want to dump it down the garbage disposal as it could contaminate the water supply. I don't know if you could bury it as it would have to be deep enough that an animal wouldn't dig it up and eat it. I wash the jars and sterilize them with bleach water. Then put in the dishwasher. I wouldn't throw out the jars as you can clean them good for reuse. 

Our dumpsters get picked up on Tues & Sat. I suppose I should just dump the contents of the jars and put it in the trash pick-up for one of those two days. 

I wasn't sure about the safety of disposing it in the trash as there is no way to know about botulism, etc, although I did know to not put it through a (non-existant) garbage disposal or to flush it down the toilet. 

Would putting some bleach into the bags with the contents be a good idea? I am somewhat worried about dumpster divers getting their hands on anything that was tossed into the trash. 

[Littlesister]

MidnightMom, they must not pick your trash up like they do ours. A truck comes around and empties our cans and it all goes to a landfill. Not a dumpster. 

Yes, I would put some bleach it or even ammonia. At least that way it would deter any wild animals or dumpster divers. Don't think anyone would mess with it with the smell of bleach or ammonia in it.

[euphrasyne]

Dont get rid of the jars!  Those are expensive and reusable.   Just bleach and sterilize them and use them with new lids.  The whole point of glass jars is that they are reusable.  

[Midnightmom]

I had also posted this question to the "UCCE Master Food Preservers of Sacramento County."  https://www.facebook.com/UCCEMFPOFSACRAMENTO/

 

This is the reply:

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Get a big pot of water and carefully add your jars and boil for 20 minutes. Then dispose. Down the garbage disposal or trash or as I do, bury in the ground to decompose.

 

Asked for more particulars.................

Put the rings back on the jars and boil for 20 minutes? Then empty the contents into another container for disposal,  but keep the jars for further use? (No garbage disposal; live in an apt so can't bury; can only toss in building's dumpster.)

 

Reply:

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No rings. You want the water to go inside the jars to neutralize any bacteria. Then pour off the excess water (maybe a strainer would work here) then put in a plastic bag and dispose of it into the dumpster.

 

Sounds like a messy job. 

 

ETA: Found this on the National Center for Home Food Preservation website:

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Identifying and Handling Spoiled Canned Food

Do not taste food from a jar with an unsealed lid or food that shows signs of spoilage. You can more easily detect some types of spoilage in jars stored without screw bands. Growth of spoilage bacteria and yeast produces gas which pressurizes the food, swells lids, and breaks jar seals. As each stored jar is selected for use, examine its lid for tightness and vacuum. Lids with concave centers have good seals.

Next, while holding the jar upright at eye level, rotate the jar and examine its outside surface for streaks of dried food originating at the top of the jar. Look at the contents for rising air bubbles and unnatural color.

While opening the jar, smell for unnatural odors and look for spurting liquid and cotton-like mold growth (white, blue, black, or green) on the top food surface and underside of lid.

Spoiled low-acid foods, including tomatoes, may exhibit different kinds of spoilage evidence or very little evidence. Therefore, all suspect containers of spoiled low-acid foods, including tomatoes, should be treated as having produced botulinum toxin and handled carefully in one of two ways:

• If the swollen metal cans or suspect glass jars are still sealed, place them in a heavy garbage bag. Close and place the bag in a regular trash container or dispose in a nearby landfill.
• If the suspect cans or glass jars are unsealed, open, or leaking, they should be detoxified before disposal.

Detoxification process: Wear disposable rubber or heavy plastic gloves. Carefully place the suspect containers and lids on their sides in an 8-quart volume or larger stock pot, pan, or boiling-water canner. Wash your hands with gloves thoroughly. Carefully add water to the pot and avoid splashing the water. The water should completely cover the containers with a minimum of a 1-inch level above the containers. Place a lid on the pot and heat the water to boiling. Boil 30 minutes to ensure detoxifying the food and all container components. Cool and discard the containers, their lids, and food in the trash or dispose in a nearby landfill.

Cleaning up the area: Contact with botulinum toxin can be fatal whether it is ingested or enters through the skin. Take care to avoid contact with suspect foods or liquids. Wear rubber or heavy plastic gloves when handling suspect foods or cleaning up contaminated work surfaces and equipment. A fresh solution of 1 part unscented liquid household chlorine bleach (5 to 6% sodium hypochlorite) to 5 parts clean water should be used to treat work surfaces, equipment, or other items, including can openers and clothing, that may have come in contact with suspect foods or liquids. Spray or wet contaminated surfaces with the bleach solution and let stand for 30 minutes. Wearing gloves, wipe up treated spills with paper towels being careful to minimize the spread of contamination. Dispose of these paper towels by placing them in a plastic bag before putting them in the trash. Next, apply the bleach solution to all surfaces and equipment again, and let stand for 30 minutes and rinse. As a last step, thoroughly wash all detoxified counters, containers, equipment, clothing, etc. Discard gloves when cleaning process is complete. (Note: Bleach is an irritant itself and should not be inhaled or allowed to come in contact with the skin.)

 

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Adapted from the "Complete Guide to Home Canning," Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA (Revised 2015), Guide 1, pp. 1-25 to 1-27, and "So Easy to Preserve", 6th ed., p. 34.

https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/general/identify_handle_spoiled_canned_food.html

 

 

I also wanted to add this. I had also sent an email to the same group - wasn't sure which reply would be the quickest.

This is the email I received. As you can see, it references the info that I had just found on the USDA site. 

In my (requested) reply I attached a screen shot of the answer received (see above) from the other member. I thought they might need to "get on the same page" about this important topic! 

 

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Hi Patricia,

Your question about disposing of jars of canned meat that came unsealed was sent to me.  That’s a bummer to find them unsealed and I’m glad you want to take care of them safely.  

I think the best way to give you the information to take care of them properly is to refer you to the National Center for Home Food Preservation.  Their website is nchfp.uga.edu.  From the home page select “How Do I Can?” and go to the General information page under that.  In the list of topics that comes up choose Identifying and Handling Spoiled Canned Foods, about halfway down.  About halfway down that page under the second dot you will find the information you need.

I hope this helps.  Please let me know that you received my response.

Lillian Smith, Sac Co MFP, ‘99

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 28, 2023 by Midnightmom

[Jeepers]

I was always told to replace the screw band and throw the entire jar away. I THINK Violet said the same thing.

 

Having said that, there is no way I'm throwing away my jars. Maybe one.  Definitely not more than one. I'd probably dump everything into a grocery size bag that has been doubled about 5 times (incase of leak) and pour bleach over the whole thing and double bagged again. Put that bag in a stronger garbage bag and put it in the dumpster. I'd put it in the dumpster on the day they pick it up. 

 

Personally, I wouldn't do the boiling etc. I wouldn't want to chance contaminating my pots or pans or introducing spores or 'fumes' around my kitchen. The less handling the food the better IMO. But that's just me.