Recycling

Pizza Box Recycling

Pizza box recycling is now available to St. Louis Park residents! 

Eureka Recycling is now collecting pizza boxes as part of St. Louis Park’s curbside recycling program.

Cardboard is a valuable material, and makes up a significant part of the paper recycling stream. However, pizza boxes have not historically been accepted for recycling in Eureka Recycling’s program because there was a concern that the oil and grease left behind in them could affect the paper manufacturing process and the quality of the recycled end product.

So, why can we accept pizza boxes now?

Eureka Recycling is always working to add new materials to the recycling program, and has a reputation among our many end markets (like paper mills) for taking the time and energy to assure that our material is clean and free of contaminants (like bits of glass and plastic) before sending it on to their mills. This reputation, along with the strong relationships we have built allowed us to work with our cardboard end markets to find a way to add pizza boxes without causing any ill effects on the end product.

When pizza boxes are thrown away, they either end up in landfills where they decompose and release the powerful greenhouse gas methane into the air, or are burned in incinerators that release chemicals into the air and leave behind toxic ash.

When pizza boxes are recycled, the negative effects of disposal are avoided, and the valuable cardboard is remanufactured to its “highest and best use.” They are made right back into new pizza boxes, giving residents, recyclers, and manufacturers the ability to close the loop on the recycling system. Recycling to the “highest and best use” means that the most environmental benefit is gained when materials are recycled into the highest quality product that they can be.

Recycling pizza boxes is a great new action St. Louis Park residents can take to help protect the environment, support local manufacturers that use recycled and recyclable material to make their products, and help ensure a safe and healthy community!

Important instructions for recycling pizza boxes:

• Only cardboard takeout/delivery pizza boxes should be included. This does not included frozen pizza boxes you would get at the grocery store.
• Please remove any plastic spacers, aluminum foil, or waxy paper sheets that came with the pizza.
• Pizza boxes should not be set out with recycling if they are heavily caked with cheese or grease.

Thank you for recycling! As always, please call Eureka Recycling’s Zero-Waste Hotline at (651) 222-7678 if you have any questions about this or any other waste reduction topic.