Can I Recycle My Pizza Boxes?

Ah, pizza. One of America’s favorite foods. It’s delicious, perfect for large groups, and can be personalized with almost any toppings. It’s so popular that about 3 billion pizzas are sold each year in the U.S.  With all of that pizza comes a lot of pizza boxes. So what do you do with that greasy cardboard box?

Cardboard boxes are included in curbside recycle programs.  However, once cardboard, like pizza boxes, has been contaminated by food, it cannot be recycled. During the recycling process cardboard is turned into a pulp and the grease can ruin the entire batch.

The good news is you can rip off the greasy portions from the box and still recycle the clean parts. Often, the top of the box is grease-free so you can throw that in the recycling bin. If the whole box is clean, you can go ahead and recycle the whole thing.

Luckily there is another option to dispose of those greasy pieces; compost it! With a compost bin, you can throw in food scraps, shredded paper, woodchips, and even greasy pizza boxes. Composting is beneficial for the environment because the materials enrich the soil and don’t end up in landfills (Earth Easy).

So next time you finish off that deep dish, you’ll know exactly what to do with the box!