Recycle Pizza Boxes: How to do it?
Disposable packaging started to deliver and developed in the United States after the second world war. The first pizza delivery services were initiated as, at that time, pizza had gained a lot of popularity. At that time, pizzas used to be delivered in a simple cardboard box similar to that of the cake boxes.
These boxes were cheap and thin in shape and size, which led to the damage, wetness, and bent of such boxes. Also, many pizza chefs often tried to put pizzas on the plate, store them inside paper bags, and transport them, which relieved the problem.
The second issue raised was that; not more than one pizza could be delivered safely because the top pizza would ruin the base of the second pizza, which led to the invention of a squared, heat resistant, foldable, suitable easy for food delivery boxes.
The pizza package or the pizza box is a form of the box in which pizzas are stored either for takeaway or home delivery. It is a foldable packaging box that is cheap, has a storage capacity, is highly heat resistant, is very suitable, and easy means for food transportation.
These pizza boxes differ in size, shape, and packaging from frozen pizzas; such packaging contains the pizza (frozen one) in a heat-sealed container foil because of its frozen properties.
The renowned brands like dominos and pizza hut serve in the same pizza box, making takeaway and home delivery easier.
Are pizza boxes Recyclable or Compostable?
In approximately more than 150 countries with 7.6 billion people, which include popular food habits like that of pizzas which have now been in existence since before the second world war and the varieties of which have been into existence for thousands of years.
The evolution of pizzas in various types and varieties is even making rounds today. The mandatory and constant is the box in which it is served and delivered, which means that once the pizza is consumed, one is left with the same pizza box, which is usually dumped in the trash. One can also do something better than throwing them in the trash.
Coming back to the subtitle: Are pizza boxes recyclable or compostable? Yes, pizza boxes are recyclable as well as compostable, although caution before composting is advised. They are biodegradable, which is the reason why they can be composted. Usually, a cardboard box of pizza takes about ninety days to decompose and biodegrade.
Can I recycle cardboard pizza boxes with food on it?
The simple answer is No. All the pizza boxes can be recycled, except for those with a little cheese or any grease left sticking to them. This is because one pizza box can damage and contaminate many other pizza boxes, recycling with it.
And the worst fact is that even if one single such pizza box is found in the bin, all the other pizza boxes are sent to the dump yard destroying the environment. Any leftover pizza in the box, any such pizza box can also not be recycled. Any such leftover is first discarded to the organic yard before considering the box for recycling.
Can we recycle frozen pizza boxes?
Frozen pizza boxes cannot be recycled because of the type of material that it comes in. They are largely made up of impregnated plastic resin to protect the food from any kind of damage or freeze burn.
How to recycle Frozen pizza boxes?
Recycling frozen pizza boxes are quite a tricky process. This is due to the packaging, which takes a standard and highly recyclable material, a paper board, and then tends to cover it in plastic, which severely hampers an individual’s options for recycling solutions.
Why is it difficult to recycle frozen pizza boxes?
It is observed that food packaging amounts to nearly 32% of all household garbage in the United States of America. One of the biggest blamers in this figure is frozen food boxes and packaging. As mentioned, it cannot be recycled in many communities.
This may also include ice cream boxes and vegetable containers. Studies have shown a rise in Both recycling and compostable food containers. The plastic coating spread and sprayed on the frozen pizza boxes makes the cardboard underneath impossible to recycle in the general standard pulp process because the box or the container will not break or tear as required during recycling.
Cardboards are recycled using water to create a pulp. This results in the mixture of the paper sprayed with wax don’t break down or tearing and getting contaminated. Such boxes are covered with plastic that expands the product to prevent moisture leaks, product degradation, and freezer burns during usage.
The use of plastic in making such pizza boxes makes recycling difficult. A side note is that this also includes beer and soda packaging as well.
Are there Recyclable Alternatives to Standard Frozen Pizza Boxes?
Not all frozen pizza boxes are covered with greasy, waxy, or plastic coating; such frozen pizza boxes and pouches are known as film plastics, and cardboard are both quite recyclable alternatives. One can opt for such frozen pizza boxes.
Can you Recycle Cardboard Takeaway Containers?
Pizza boxes that are clean and are made up of paper and cardboard are usually recyclables. Also, even the manufacturer assures that they can be recycled about such frozen pizza boxes.
But, as pizza contains grease, any small amount of it can damage and contaminate the pizza box and make the recycling process very tough. One interesting fact is that 73% of the United States of America’s population has access to recycling programs that welcome pizza boxes.
How to Recycle Pizza Boxes?
To start with, first, removing packaging material like any paper bill stick or any stickers is not necessary as the recycling process will eventually remove it.
Next, by flattening the cardboard box, you can save the area.
Then ensure that the pizza boxes were completely dry and cleaned. Even if the box gets wet, it can still be recycled after drying. Putting it in the recycling bin is the last step for further standard process. Ensure to discard any leftover food already present in the bin before putting the box in for recycling.
Checking the boxes with grease or cheese on them, tearing and tossing such pizza boxes that are not eligible for recycling is also an important factor and function that needs attention.
There are a few additional things to keep in mind when recycling a pizza box made up of cardboard; ripped, damaged, and dented cardboard can also be recycled irrespective of the size and shape it is submitted in. Juices, milk, and cereal boxes that come along with pizza can also be recycled if cleaned.
How long does it Take for a Pizza Box to Decompose?
Decomposing a pizza box depends on various factors which are responsible for it. When a pizza box is properly done, and under standard conditions, a pizza box that is made up of cardboard can take up to a minimum of 90 days to decompose and biodegrade.
What can you do with Empty Pizza Boxes?
Pizza boxes are made up of recyclable materials. The empty pizza boxes should be cleaned properly and should be further dropped at the nearest recycle bin so that they can further put them to good use once again.
What can be done with Pizza Boxes that cannot be Recycled for Any Reason?
An empty pizza box can be used in many ways. Innovating is done by students and children at school via crafts and DIY such as pizza boxes if collected in the right way and given to students at school for transforming and renovating it can also become a very good way of using the empty pizza boxes.
Students can be given the topic of making a wall hanging, painting on it, using it as a stand, making a base for clay objects made by them, making it in the shape of a Rubik’s cube, painting and sticking pictures on it are various ways in which the empty boxes can be used.
One can also start with reusing it for a pets bed, a child’s art easel, a table soccer set, a laptop stand, an innovative wall art, an outdoor homemade birds nest, a tic tac toe board, a marble maze, a giant battleship game, an art canvas, and a wall clock.
How to Dispose of a Pizza Box
Throwing away pizza boxes in a responsible and environmentally friendly way is the best thing that we can do. Knowing the locality rules before recycling the pizza box is very important because some of the municipalities allow for recycling waste while some don’t.
And in fact, only some accept pizza boxes, and some don’t. One can reuse it for a homemade pizza or clean it and keep it on the kitchen shelf for further usage.
The Importance of Recycling Pizza Boxes
If not recycled or reused by any individual, any pizza box gets eventually dumped in the garbage bin then left in the landfill. The landfill causes several problems that are hazardous to the environment and us human beings.
Landfills become very unattractive, and they offer an extensive and ugly kind of smell in the area for kilometers in all directions. More problems are always on the way.
Landfills are responsible for the emission of greenhouse gases and other harmful toxins into the air; such gases generate heat inside our atmosphere, disrupting weather patterns, extremely high temperatures, and many different alarming results.
Gathering waste, pizza boxes, and putting such recyclable items in the local recycling bin is an individual’s first significant step. Though most recycling companies do not accept pizza boxes, one can think of reusing them in other ways at home.
Tips for Setting Up a Pizza box Recycling or Composting Program
Searching for an ideal location where pizzas are consumed regularly, for example, near a pizza store, cafeteria, meeting room, or near the student’s location, is one of the significant factors for setting up a pizza box recycling or composting program.
Select the right size of the container in which pizza boxes have to be stored—launching the program to college students to spread awareness and customize the container that becomes eligible for the bulky nature of pizza boxes.
Continuation of communication about the program after the launch and reporting about the progress creates awareness of how much waste is being shifted from landfills.
