Can You Recycle Pizza Boxes?
It depends
Clean parts yes, heavily greasy parts no
Why
Pizza boxes are corrugated cardboard, which recycles well. The problem is grease and stuck-on cheese, which contaminate the paper fiber. Many programs now accept lightly soiled boxes, but heavily saturated cardboard should stay out of the bin.
How to dispose of pizza boxes
- Tear off the clean lid and recycle it
- If the bottom only has light grease spots, most modern programs will take it
- Heavily soaked or cheese-crusted sections go in the trash or compost
- Remove any leftover food first
Greener option
Greasy sections break down well in a home compost pile.
♻️ Recycling rules vary by city and hauler — when in doubt, check your local program. You can look up your area on our trash & recycling schedules page.