Can Pizza Boxes Be Recycled?

Pizza boxes are one of the most confusing items when it comes to recycling. The short answer: clean parts of pizza boxes can be recycled, but greasy or food-soiled parts cannot. Here’s how to recycle pizza boxes the right way.

✅ When Pizza Boxes Can Be Recycled

Clean and dry boxes – if the box is free from grease, cheese, or food scraps, it can go straight into the cardboard recycling bin.
The clean half of a box – if only part of the box is soiled, tear off the clean sections (like the lid) and recycle them.
Small amounts of oil-free residue – light marks that don’t soak through the cardboard are usually fine.

❌ When Pizza Boxes Can’t Be Recycled

Greasy or oily boxes – oil weakens cardboard fibres and makes it unsuitable for recycling.
Boxes with food leftovers – cheese, crusts, or toppings must be removed.
Wet boxes – moisture damages the fibres and contaminates the recycling stream.

Household Tips

Tear your pizza box in half — recycle the clean part, bin the dirty part.
If your local council accepts FOGO bins (Food Organics & Garden Organics), you may be able to place greasy cardboard there, where it will be composted instead of landfilled.
Don’t bag pizza boxes in plastic — place them loose in your bin.

Business Tips (Restaurants, Cafés, Pizzerias)

Provide a cardboard-only recycling bin for staff to separate clean boxes from contaminated ones.
Flatten clean boxes to save storage space.
For soiled boxes, look into an organics recycling service if available.
Train staff to tear off lids (often clean) and recycle them separately.

Quick Reference

Recycle	Do Not Recycle
Clean, dry pizza boxes	Greasy or oily boxes
Lids and clean halves	Boxes with food leftovers
Lightly marked boxes	Wet or soggy boxes

Best Practices Summary

Recycle only clean, dry cardboard from pizza boxes.
Tear off and recycle the clean lid if the base is greasy.
Compost greasy sections in a FOGO bin if available.
Businesses should train staff to separate clean and dirty boxes.

Conclusion: Pizza Box Recycling Made Simple

Yes — pizza boxes can be recycled, but only if they’re clean. By separating the clean parts from the greasy ones, you’ll help reduce contamination, improve recycling quality, and keep valuable cardboard in use.

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Can Pizza Boxes Be Recycled?

Pizza boxes are one of the most confusing items when it comes to recycling. The short answer: clean parts of pizza boxes can be recycled, but greasy or food-soiled parts cannot. Here’s how to recycle pizza boxes the right way.