Are Pizza Boxes Compostable? Let’s Save the Planet by Composting!

Are pizza boxes compostable? One word for this, YES! You can compost the boxes. Of course, you will need to do some essential things to compost the boxes the right way. Why? Most of the boxes are made of cardboard and are glued with three layers of paper. So, can we help save the planet by composting the boxes? Let’s explore further!

A Brief About Pizza Boxes

Pizza is one of the favorite meals people enjoy at any time. Who doesn’t like to have a bite (or maybe two bites) of delicious pizza? Be it for lunch or dinner, no one can resist tasty heavenly pizza! Yet, the only downside is what to do with the box when you are done with the pizza.
On the other hand, we should also mention an ironic fact that 3 billion pizzas are consumed every year in the United States. What is an ironic fact? Well, we can see how many pizza boxes are wasted. This is why you need to learn about the secrets of working with greasy pizza boxes. By composting the boxes, you can help save the planet as you keep the packaging waste out of landfills. At the same time, you can also get the benefits as the composting process will create a rich soil conditioner in your garden. Sounds great, isn’t it?

Are Pizza Boxes Included in Compostable Packaging?

The corrugated cardboard material that makes the boxes come with a ribbed structure. The structure insulates and keeps the pizza warm. Additionally, because the packaging for pizza is hard and light, it handles pizza comfortably.
Another great thing about corrugated cardboard is that it easily absorbs the fat contained in the pizza. This also means that corrugated pizza boxes are included in compostable packaging. Made of paper liner, this material is also a good candidate for compost bins.

Things to Remember When Composting Pizza Boxes

To compost the pizza boxes with logo properly, you will need to keep in mind some important things.
First of all, if the box you have is or is made of cardboard or wax-coated paperboard. Do note that you should not put these types of materials into your compost. Why? Because the materials will not break. Remember that the purpose of composting is to allow waste to biodegrade and decompose completely. At the same time, composting is ideal for enriching soils and plants.
So, if you cannot decompose the materials in the box, it will only make no sense to compost them. Even if the ideal environment for composting is in place, it will take forever for the materials to decompose.
In simple words, just don’t add them. Be it bleached or white cardstock, or a box with a lot of ink prints; all will be a bit unsafe. If you really need to add them, you should add them in small quantities. The reason is that the chemicals and dyes on the box can contaminate the compost.

What Will You Get from Composting Pizza Boxes?

Some pizza boxes from paperboard material rarely can absorb the fat. Thus, some pieces of cheese might remain at the bottom. This problem can be confusing as we know that adding dairy products, fats, and oils to compost will not end well.
So, what will you actually get from composting pizza boxes? Will it be worth your energy, time, and effort? Well then, why don’t we take a look at the pros and cons below from composting the boxes?

The pros of composting pizza boxes

• Helps to reduce the landfill waste
• Composting provides a carbon or “brown” compost material to balance “green” ingredients
• Composting the boxes makes up space in your trash
• Adding greasy pizza boxes to the recycling plant might taint other items

The cons of composting the boxes

• It will take time to cut or tear a pizza box into smaller pieces
• It might end up with more cardboard than you need for your size of the composting system, thus, giving you storage issues

Well, we can see there are some advantages to composting pizza boxes. After all, you will only need to spend a few minutes tearing up the box after your meal.

The Best Ways to Compost a Pizza Box

You are on the right path if you are interested in saving the planet by composting a cardboard pizza box. To help you out, you can follow a few steps to compost the box properly. If you are thinking of using worm compost, you will see that worms especially like the greasy parts of the box. So, let’s start composting!

Make Sure That the Box Is Empty

The first thing you need to do is remove the plastic or paraffin paper from the compostable packaging. Then, discard the crumbs and loose toppings.

Cut the Box into Pieces

Cut, tear, or use the scissors to chop the pizza box into as many small pieces as you can make. If you have a sturdy shredder, you can easily circulate any non-food or fat section. This will help you save more time. Shredded paperboard can break down the fastest of compost easily. Even better, it provides a lot of beneficial ventilation.
Cutting the box into pieces will make the surface area exposed to the decomposition process much larger. In the end, it will help in speeding up the process.

Add the Pieces to the Compost

Now you need to mix the leftovers from the pizza box. Then, combine them with the clean and greasy leftovers. Add all the materials to the compost as you would add any other carbon component. This will help you balance the amount and proportion of the green component you add.

Mix or Rotate the Composter

To efficiently and quickly break down the compost components, rotate or mix the compost every few days. This will work well in keeping the heat, air, and humidity at optimal levels.
You can compost any type of paperboard or cardboard, including greasy ones, within a few months. In fact, a piece of paperboard can be unrecognizable in less than a month. Thus, we can say that it is the best compostable packaging you can have.

Can We Recycle Pizza Boxes?

Even if the community offers box recycling, in most cases, you should not throw away food or grease-contaminated pizza boxes in the recycling plant.
Instead, the recycling plant will avoid greasy boxes with leftover food residues. Why? Due to the way paper products are processed. To recycle cardboard or paperboard, they will need to soak the box in water or chemicals to soften the fibers and mix it with a viscous liquid.
If the box is full of grease, it will not mix with the water. In fact, it will not properly separate the pulp from the oil. As a result, the entire recycling batch will be unusable. The worst thing is that it will only result in a huge waste of water and resources.
So, if you haven’t composted the box yet, you should do the right thing. Make sure to throw all the food-contaminated parts of the box into the trash. This way, the recycling plant can recycle the rest.

To know more about recyclable pizza boxes, you can check out here!

Can You Recycle Pizza Boxes Check Out The Answers Here

Are Pizza Boxes Compostable? Are They Also Biodegradable?

Yes,printed pizza boxes are compostable and biodegradable. With proper processing and ideal conditions, it will only take about 90 days for a pizza box to biodegrade or decompose.
Corrugated cardboard paper is the reason that makes a box biodegradable. This is a material with a layer of paper glued together. On the other hand, the biodegradability of the box depends largely on the material used to produce the box itself. Overall, the box is biodegradable unless it is made of cardboard coated with wax.
Yes, not all wax-coated boxes can be environmentally friendly. You can compost the box if it is made of compostable beeswax or soy wax that is biodegradable. Of course, plastic or plastic-related wax boxes will never biodegrade.
As we mentioned above, the pizza fat can also affect the biodegradability of compostable packaging. If the oil gets on the box, it will stay there and will be difficult to remove. To properly reuse or recycle the box, you need to clean the leftover food. If the box must be biodegradable, you need to clean the box first. Why? Because the leftover food can attract rodents, flies, and other pests easily. These unwanted things will interfere with the decomposition process.

Are Pizza Boxes Compostable? In Summary

Yes, kraft pizza boxes are compostable! Even though these boxes are difficult to recycle, in most cases, you can easily compost them. You can donate the boxes to your city’s composting program or compost them yourself at home. Composting the boxes will let you reduce the packaging waste going to a local landfill. In the end, you can help to save this planet! What you need to do now is decide if you wish to compost the boxes yourself or hand over them to the city.