Did you know that pizza boxes may not be recyclable? They are corrugated cardboard which is recyclable, but if tarnished with grease, it is not. Food is one of the worst contaminants in the paper recycling process. Plastic, metal and glass use a heat process for their recycling, but paper does not. Paper mixes with water to make a “slurry”. As you know, water and oil do not mix. Contaminated cardboard could ruin a whole recycling batch. Stickers found on pizza boxes also cause a problem. The cost for irresponsible contamination is $700 million per year industry wide and damage to machinery and disposal costs for removing non-recyclable materials is also costly. Cut off the soiled part of the pizza box and you can recycle the rest with a guilt-free concious. Please do not sneak unacceptable materials into the recycling containers. The cost for such actions is too great.
