Can pizza boxes be recycled? It’s a common question and it can cause a lot of confusion. Pizza boxes are made of cardboard, which can be recycled, but anything made to carry food needs to be carefully considered before you throw it away.
But before you toss your empty pizza box in the bin, why not consider some of the other ways that your pizza box could be reused?
Take Happy Snaps with a Pizza Bib
Did you know that 11 Inch Pizza use the amazing specially-designed boxes from Pizza Bib? Pizza Bib are a brand of pizza boxes that feature fun designs inside the lid. Anyone ordering our delicious pizzas can punch out the whole in the top of the lid and become James Bond in a suave tux.
Make sure you take a snap with your Pizza Bib box and share it on your social media channels. Your friends will love it – and you can enter the Pizza Bib competition too.
Not only are our boxes heaps of fun to pose with – they also keep your clothes clean! Is there anything more annoying that spilling pizza toppings onto your favourite shirt? Pizza Bib boxes act as just that – a bib – so that you can keep clean and snap photos at the same time.
Get Arty
Who doesn’t love an art project? Whether you’re keeping the kids occupied during the school holidays, or you like getting crafty yourself, sturdy cardboard is the hallmark of a good project. And pizza boxes are perfect for that!
The shape of a pizza box is ready made for fun ideas like dioramas. Simply prop open your box and use the lid as a beautiful backdrop, while the bottom of the box is the stage for your imagination to run wild! Populate your diorama with colourful characters and make it as 3D as you want to – the strong cardboard of your pizza box is sure to support the most ambitious design!
If you’re looking for an art canvas on a budget, a pizza box is a great place to start. Fold the pizza box closed and secure it, and then wrap it tightly in canvas, paper or fabric. You can decorate your pizza box anyway you please, and the lovely uniform squares look amazing in a collection on your wall.
Prepare for Game Night
Pizza and games are a match made in heaven. Get ready to challenge your friends and family with homemade games. Pizza boxes are the perfect size for a games board, and strong enough to withstand even the most spirited play!
Some popular favourites that you can make yourself include chess and checker boards or noughts and crosses. Simply design the box into the board of your choice using any colours and materials you want, and then make your own fun game pieces.
And if you’re feeling really creative, you can dream up your own game from scratch! Whether it’s as simple as snakes and ladders or as complicated as Monopoly, it’s your game, your rules!
Make a Bed for Your Pet
Who else has a naughty pup that seems to always chew the stuffing out of their dog bed? If you’re tired of spending money on pet beds, try a pizza box for a cheap DIY option.
Simply open out the box and line it with an old blanket, and it’s ready for your dog or cat to enjoy. You can staple the lining to the box for some extra support. Even if your pet decides this bed is a scratching post or a chew toy, at least you can quickly and easily make them another one!
Use it for Storage
Do you find it hard to keep track of all your electronic chargers and cords? Or perhaps you have lots of old photos you want to file away? Pizza boxes are flat and easy to store, and with their thick cardboard, they make a great storage solution.
You can decorate them anyway you want, or even colour code and label them depending on their contents. Stack them up and find anything you need with ease! It’s a great way to store those small annoying items that crowd your desk space or your kitchen bench, and they’re the perfect size to tuck away out of sight.
… Actually Recycle It
If you don’t want to reuse your pizza box (or you have already tried all of these fun ideas!) you should recycle your box. However, when it comes to recycling pizza boxes, there are some important things to remember.
Firstly, a pizza box that has been contaminated with oil or food waste cannot be recycled. This is because paper and cardboard is pulped and made into new paper products, but oil and grease affect the pulped paper and makes it impossible to turn it into something new.
A single contaminated pizza box can ruin a whole truck full of recycling, so it’s important not to let any soiled boxes slip through!
Sometimes you can cut off the clean lid for recycling and throw the rest of the box away. Make sure that when you dispose of your pizza boxes, they don’t have any pizza or crusts left in them (why would you not eat it all anyway!)
You can also compost your contaminated pizza boxes by breaking them down into smaller pieces and putting them in your compost bin. The carboard will break down over time.
