Can Pizza Boxes Be Recycled?
We know you knead to know!
But sadly the answer is not a simple "yes" or "no".
It all depends on your local council — and the greasiness of the box.
Some councils take pizza boxes in their kerbside recycling bins whilst others don’t. Nothing is straightforward! Councils who do accept pizza boxes in recycling bins generally advise that pizza boxes are to be completely free of food contamination. This means no sticky cheese or pepperoni stuck to the top, or greasy spots on the base!
In fact it is due to the high contamination rate of pizza boxes that many councils simply say no, and advise residents not to include pizza boxes in their recycling bins.
"Wish-cycling"
We get it – you want your pizza box to be recycled, it’s made of cardboard after all, and you feel it should be recycled, rather than just going to landfill (and what’s a little bit of pizza grease going to do, really?). Well – it turns out - a lot!
Unfortunately and importantly – the greasy stains from just one pizza box can ruin an entire batch of paper recycling – which of course actually creates more waste in the long run.
Bad move – this sort of “wish-cycling’ causes big problems!
The uptake?
When in doubt, always remember to err on the side of caution – and not recycle it.
Firstly, always check with your local council. And if it’s not an option to throw it in your yellow bin, ask whether it is suitable for disposal in your green bin, so it doesn’t end up in landfill.
Consider ripping the lid of the box off (it's usually much cleaner than the base) and putting it into the recycling bin (afterall, now it's just a piece of clean cardboard and not a box at all!) and then you just have to dispose of the bottom.
And of course you can always tear the whole dirty, food-stained box into small pieces and place it in your compost bin or worm farm.
Sharing is caring
And here’s an idea, if your yard is too small to accommodate a compost bin or worm farm, you can always see if someone nearby wants it for theirs!
Check out sharewaste.com - it's a free app that connects people who are keen to recycle their kitchen scraps with neighbours who are already composting, worm-farming or keeping chickens. Which means you can divert waste from landfill while getting to know the people around you!
If food waste were a country, it would the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases!
Search for other blog topics:
Inspire your family and friends to make a change by sharing your pledge and tagging @CleanUpAustralia #CleanUpAustralia
Clean Up Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.