Pizza Boxes Now Recyclable In Burlington County

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Empty pizza boxes will no longer go to waste. Burlington County will now collect pizza boxes with curbside recycling, officials announced Monday.

The change reflects new best practices among paper mills and cardboard-manufacturing companies, according to the Burlington County government. Materials with small amounts of grease can now be screened out during the pulping process so there's little to no impact on quality.

Pizza boxes must be emptied and cleaned of any food, wax paper or lining before they're placed in a curbside recycling container. Boxes may have a small amount of grease but cannot contain cheese, crust or any other food residue.

Nationwide, more than 3 billion pizzas are sold annually, amounting to more than 600,000 tons of corrugated cardboard, according to county officials.

Tom Pullion, deputy director of the Burlington County Commissioners, called the county's new initiative a game-changer.

"For decades, we've been forced to toss millions of pounds of cardboard into our landfill annually," said Pullion, the liaison to the Department of Solid Waste and Recycling. "Now, we can give those pizza boxes a second life. This will not only save space in our landfill but will save taxpayers' money by helping to keep their municipal solid waste fees low."

Burlington County was the first in New Jersey to create a regional recycling program, collecting recycling from all of its towns without charging fees to municipalities or property owners. Last year, the county collected more than 84 million pounds of recyclables, saving local towns more than $3.7 million in landfill tipping fees.

For more info, visit Burlington County's recycling webpage or call 609-499-1001.

Residents can also download the county's free Recycle Coach app — available for download from iTunes or GooglePlay app stores. The app includes tips for proper recycling, along with updates and alerts for collection schedules in each town.