My roommate uses our full height dishwasher all the time. Except he just throws stuff into it and I regularly pull dirty silverware out of it. Sometimes dirty dishes too.
The thing is, you're supposed to at least brush dishes, silverware and pans with a bit of water before putting them into a dishwasher. If anything, not to clog the dishwasher drain with small bits of food (it happens, I know because guess what? It f--ing happened).
But once you get your hands wet to brush the dishes... You might as well do them.