BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — If you’re enjoying pizza this Saturday night — or any night, for that matter — Palm Beach County wants you to know that the box probably shouldn’t go int your yellow recycling bin. At least not all of the box. Answering one of the most frequently asked questions in PBC, the Solid Waste Authority shared this advisory with BocaNewsNow.com about pizza boxes and “dry food boxes.” A Saturday night is the perfect night for us to pass it on:
“Dry food boxes, commonly called box board, are the protective cover around any dry food product, drink cans, tissues and other items. Dry food boxes are similar to cardboard in their use. But dry food boxes are one layer, while cardboard is usually three layers.
Be sure to break down dry food boxes, remove any plastic bags or other items, and place them into your yellow recycling bin.
Pizza box disposal requires a deeper explanation. These boxes are made of cardboard, which is recyclable in Palm Beach County’s dual-stream recycling program. But it’s the cheese and grease on the pizza box that causes issues in the recycling process. When you get a pizza, plan to recycle the box. However, if either the bottom or the top of the box gets soaked in grease and/or cheese, tear one side from the other and recycle the clean side in your yellow recycling bin. The stained side should go into your garbage.
In 2023, more than 30,800 tons of mixed paper was recycled.
The full lists of accepted items in the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County’s dual-stream recycling program can be found online. In 2022, Palm Beach County had the state’s highest recycling rate in the state – at 80% – as calculated by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
