It is so much easier to opt for the trash with your plate, scraps and the packaging in which the food came, but leaving it to end up in a trash dump will last indefinitely longer than taking the few extra minutes to wash it off and put it in recycling.

While taking a sustainability class, I learned that when in doubt if an item should be placed into recycling or not, put it in the recycling bin.  Let the recycling plant make the decision on whether it qualifies or not.