FACT OR FICTION: Pizza Boxes Are Not Recyclable

A Treasure Valley pizza restaurant is clearing up confusion about pizza boxes. There's one key factor when it comes to recycling them.

If we're going to recycle pizza boxes, we've got to make sure the stuck-on cheese is off, and that the sauce remnants are gone.

After people finish devouring the slices, it would be a miracle if the bottom of the box were completely clean.  It always seems like there's a dollop of oil in at least two spots, but as long as the surface is smooth the pizza box should be recyclable.

Domino's is encouraging all of its customers to recycle pizza boxes and they've launched a website called Recycling.Dominos.com.  The website says 73% of the population has access to recycling programs for empty pizza boxes, but many of us hold on to the perception that pizza boxes aren't meant for the recycling bin.

The site addresses the myth that pizza boxes aren’t recyclable.  Domino’s says its pizza boxes are made out of the same material as most shipping boxes, and those are able to be recycled at least seven times before they're unusable.  Some recycling programs have prohibited pizza boxes over food scraps in the box, but overall, the idea that pizza boxes are not recyclable is incorrect.

As long as there are no food scraps, the box is recyclable.  That seems like a slam dunk because parents are so good at taking the last bites off of plates, and no change to the routine is necessary.  Surely we can handle the leftover cheese bits and pick that box clean, then toss it in the recycle bin.