did cinderella recycle?

I'm learning that there's some housekeeping that goes along with reducing waste. It's no big deal for me to take an extra couple minutes at home to rinse out my milk carton or to take the plastic cap off my recyclable bottle, but managing the trash created by fifty co-workers is proving to be quite a task. I find myself digging through the garbage quite a bit around the office, and I've chosen to be OK with that...this is my passion, after all. I wish I could make everyone take the extra time to recycle properly, but until that happens I'll do my best to pick up the slack.

If you recycle at home...good for you! Please make an effort to do so responsibly!! I'll share one very important tip today.

Pizza Boxes/Food Packaging
VERY IMPORTANT!!
(Earth911.com)

Food is one of the worst contaminants in the paper recycling process. Grease and oil are not as big of a problem for plastic, metal and glass, as those materials are recycled using a heat process. But when paper products, like cardboard, are recycled, they are mixed with water and turned into a slurry. Since we all know water and oil don’t mix, the issue is clear.

Grease from pizza boxes causes oil to form at the top of the slurry, and paper fibers cannot separate from oils during the pulping process. Essentially, this contaminant causes the entire batch to be ruined. This is the reason that other food related items are non-recyclable (used paper plates, used napkins, used paper towels, etc). Also, be mindful of adhesives that may be on the pizza box (coupons, stickers, etc.) as those are contaminants. Known as “pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs)” these can ruin the recycling process just as much as oil or food remains.

The easiest remedy for this problem is to cut or tear out the soiled portions of your pizza boxes and trash them. For example, you can tear the top of the box off, recycle that and throw away the bottom part containing the grease. This is an all-or-nothing concept. If you're not going to take the time to separate the grease-stained portion of the box, just throw the whole thing in the trash because it's better than tarnishing an entire batch of recycled paper. If the entire box is grease-free, the whole box can be recycled with a guilt-free conscience.

Remember...this goes for all food packaging! Take an extra moment to wash it out! If it's too stained to be salvaged...throw it away (or burn it if you have the means!)