Can a pizza box be recycled? Wouldn’t you like an easy answer to that question? Well, it doesn’t exist.
The unassuming cardboard box that holds that hot, steaming pizza pie shouldn’t be causing so much controversy in the recycling world, but it is. That’s what happens when you mix greasy cheese with corrugated cardboard. Eco-friendly guidelines start to blur just as easily as the hot cheese can slide off pizza crust.
Here’s the problem. Pizza boxes made from cardboard are inherently recyclable. The boxes themselves could easily be put in the recycled bins of most municipalities, as long as there were no coupons, stickers, or other adhesives attached.
However, pizza boxes contain pizza. And pizza contains fatty grease. It is that greasy residue that causes problems (both for recycling centers and your waistline….but that’s another story).
Food contaminates paper destined for the recycling bin in a different way than food residues found on glass or plastic. When paper is recycled, it is mixed with water. The combo is turned into a slurry, where the oil residues then rise to the top. The paper fibers cannot be separated from the oils, causing problems with the fibers binding and the whole recycling batch is compromised and ruined.
Recycling Guidelines
Cities and municipalities across the country have varying guidelines to recycle pizza boxes, which makes the topic even more confusing. It is not a one-size-fits-all solution.
For instance, the Denver Recycles program in Denver, Colorado states, “Pizza boxes that have the food remains scrapped out and have a minimum amount of grease soaked into the cardboard can still be recycled. However, pizza boxes soiled with grease and food debris should not go in the purple recycling carts.”
In Texas, the City of Arlington Recycling program has listed pizza boxes as one of the items not to put into your recycling bin.
In the city of San Francisco, greasy pizza boxes are meant to go into the compost recycling bin, as in Denver, too.
Charlotte, North Carolina has changed their stance and now accepts pizza boxes for recycling. Charita Curtis, a spokeswoman for Charlotte’s Solid Waste Services, said that pizza companies are making it easier for recycling companies to accept their boxes.
“For example, most pizza companies have gone back to the old way of leaving a buffer between the food and the box,” Curtis said.
Some communities, such as Old Orchard Beach in Maine, have created special trash receptacles specifically for pizza boxes.
What Can You Do
If you’re an earth-conscious pizza lover that just can’t give up the convenience of a hot baked pie delivered in a box, what can you do?
First, check your local recycling rules. Find out if pizza boxes can even be recycled in your area, or are outright banned.
Pizza boxes generally are not accepted for recycling if they are heavily soiled with grease and food. If the top of the box has not been soiled, you could tear off the top to recycle while putting the soiled bottom layer in the trash.
If recycling isn’t an option, composting may be. Grease is generally not a good thing in a compost pile, because it can attract rodents and result in a bad smell. The small amounts found as residue on the cardboard boxes, though, might be okay in your backyard composting pile. If your city offers municipal composting services, check to see if they accept pizza boxes.
Feature image courtesy reway2007