Sunday was National Pizza Day, so on Monday morning, you might still have some greasy pizza boxes lying around and wondering what to do with them. In the past, you’d have to perform some minor surgery on the box, ripping off the grease-stained parts and throwing them in the garbage, and putting the rest in the recycling.
But that’s all changed. Here’s why you can now recycle your greasy pizza boxes in Madison, and what else you might not realize you can recycle.
Why Have Things Changed?
Paper mills, which take in those recycled pizza boxes to make new paper products, have upgraded their ability to clean those boxes. So they can now take grease-stained pizza boxes when they couldn’t before.
How To Get Your Boxes Ready For Recycling
First of all, obviously, remove any pizza crusts or other food remnants from the box. That includes those little tubs of sauces. Then flatten the box and put it in the green recycling cart. That’s it!
To Recycle Or Not Recycle?
Not sure what else you can or can’t recycle, or how to recycle it? The Madison Streets Division has a new online tool, called the Recyclopedia, which will give you all the options of what to do with an item, including the best option.
For example, with furniture, the Streets division recommends finding a place to resell or donate it before you consider recycling it. Some of those organizations will even pick it up at your home for you.
For cans of latex paint (either full or partially full), take them to the Dane County Clean Sweep site at the county landfill, which accepts hazardous chemicals from residents, farms, and businesses.
A microwave oven can be scheduled for a large-item pickup at your house, but you might need to pay a fee. You could also consider taking it to one of the county’s dropoff sites.
