Chicken & Pizza Box
Only clean cardboard parts of chicken and pizza boxes free of oil and sauce can be recycled as paper; stained parts must go into general trash.
How to Dispose (5 Steps)
- 1
Empty all food residues, sauce packets, radish containers, and plastic pizza savers.
- 2
Peel off all vinyl tape, shipping labels, and receipts attached to the box.
- 3
Separate clean paper parts (like lids and outer walls) that have no oil stains.
- 4
Cut out sauce-stained or greasy bottom cardboard and discard in general trash bags.
- 5
Flatten clean cardboard boxes and place them neatly in the paper recycling bin.
Real-World Examples
Sauce/cheese-stained box bottom: Cannot recycle; cut with scissors and throw in general trash
Plastic radish container & sauce packs: Rinse with water and sort into plastic and vinyl respectively
Tape & shipping stickers: Remove and discard in general trash, flatten clean box for paper recycling
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Should the grease-proof paper at the bottom of a pizza box go to paper recycling?
A. No. Grease-stained paper liners cannot be re-pulped and must be discarded in general municipal trash bags.
Q. If a chicken box is slightly sauce-stained, should the entire box be thrown away?
A. If the whole box is stained, discard it in general trash. If only the lid is clean, you can cut out the clean top lid for paper recycling.