Super recyclers, grease is the word — to avoid

If you are throwing a Super Bowl party tomorrow, ﻿there’s more at stake than the game. There’s the environment, too. After the last guest has left, you’ll not only be stuck with the party’s detritus — the pizza boxes, the paper plates and the beer bottles — but with that always nagging question: Can this go in the recycling bin?

While the recycling rules vary from city to city, here are some basic guidelines:

Pizza box: Sure, cardboard is recyclable, but not if it is soiled with grease, cheese and pepperoni. In fact, if you throw a gunky pizza box into the recycle bin, you could be doing more harm than good.

Why, you ask? Well it goes a little something like this: To recycle cardboard, you have to mix it with water to make slurry. But what did we all learn in grade school? That’s right — water and oil don’t mix. Because of that, a box with globs of grease will cause big problems in the slurry-making process, says Jennifer Berry, spokeswoman for, a Web site that provides recycling tips.

Basically, paper fiber can’t separate from the oils; the recycled cardboard will end up with holes or stains and may even have to be thrown out.

So what’s an eco-conscious pizza lover to do? If there is only a minimal amount of grease, go ahead and put in the recycling bin, says Dennis Williams, a spokesman for the city of San Diego’s environmental services department.

If the bottom of the box is befouled beyond redemption, then rip off the top of the box and recycle that and put the bottom in the trash.

Paper plates: Again, if it’s contaminated with food, it can’t be recycled. See the pizza box explanation above.

Beer: Obviously, cans and bottles are recyclable. The cardboard carrier, whether it be a for a six-pack of bottles or a case of cans, typically can go in the recycling bin, too. The general rule with cardboard is that if you can rip it, you can recycle it.


