Celebrate The Life Of A Pizza Box
Honor a crowd favorite (and the earth) by recycling the container in which it’s delivered
By Michael Wilson
Camp administrators may have yet to notice but there are several days every year that honor and celebrate pizza. For instance, here’s a look at some of the dates and themes:
Photos © Can Stock Photo / kstudio
April 5—National Deep-Dish Pizza Day
May 19—National Pizza Party Day (this holiday falls on the third Friday in May)
September 5—National Cheese Pizza Day
September 20—National Pepperoni Pizza Day
October—National Pizza Month
October 25—World Pizza Makers Day
Considering these delicious celebrations, shouldn’t there be a national pizza box day to honor all those pizzas delivered to camps, homes, and offices?
A Little Pizza Box History
Each pizzeria in this country uses an average of 55 pizza boxes daily. According to WestRock, a packaging company based in Sandy Springs, Ga., an estimated three-billion boxes—600,000 tons of corrugated board—are used annually. These figures are based on data compiled before the pandemic. During the pandemic, that number increased considerably.
I should clarify what a corrugated box or corrugated board is. The terms refer to packing material made primarily of paper, which was developed almost by accident in 1879 by a man in Brooklyn, N.Y., named Robert Gair. He was looking for an alternative to large bags to deliver products—one that would be more protective of its contents, more robust, and containing streamline packaging. Voilá! He created pleated, creased, and cut cardboard boxes that could be folded.
As for delivery before his invention, most pizza was delivered in vented tin or copper containers, a costly option. Today, along with housing pizzas for delivery, the corrugated cardboard box is used throughout the supply-chain industry to package all sorts of items from glass, pottery, and food to high-tech electronics.
The box used for pizza is known as “Michigan-style.” It has bleached paper, allows for printing on the outside of the box, and has flaps that can be folded in, making for a sturdier container. The design was first used by a Michigan-based, pizza-delivery company now known as Domino’s.
The Chronology
Here is a basic chronology in the making of a pizza box:
It is estimated that about 17 trees are needed to make one ton of corrugated cardboard.
The boxes, however, are typically made from the leftovers or waste materials of those trees.
In some cases, the tree waste product is mixed with post-consumer materials, such as that tossed into paper-recycling bins. This promotes sustainability.
The corrugated material is then sent to a packaging company to be turned into a pizza box.
The company designs the box so it can be manufactured in various sizes.
The company is also responsible for “markings” on the box, indicating, for instance, the material used, especially if it is formed from recycled materials.
The box may also have a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) mark, which means the box was harvested from FSC Certified wood from responsibly managed forests.
The next stage in the life of a pizza box occurs in camps, homes, offices, and anywhere else pizza is enjoyed. Usually, the boxes are tossed as waste. Rarely are they sent to a recycling center. Boxes will end up in landfills, where decomposition takes about five years. Of course, this depends on a host of factors, including the type of cardboard (how much is made from recycled materials), the state of the cardboard when tossed into a landfill, and the landfill’s natural surroundings.
A Teachable Moment
However, most pizza boxes can be recycled, and camp administrators are urged to remind kids and families of this. View it as a teachable moment, especially before the honorary pizza days arrive.
Consider the following important information:
Grease is a deterrent to recycling. However, most boxes contain only about 2-percent grease after the pizza is consumed. This small amount should not prevent a box from being recycled.
Any paper (wax or parchment), such as liners or marketing material inside a box, should be tossed because it has grease on it.
Any tin foil in a box should also be tossed as waste.
If the outside of a box has paper items stapled to it, such as advertisements, leave them. Most recycling systems can recycle the paper and remove the staples.
Many pizzerias now place a plastic “pizza saver” in the middle of the pizza. This prevents a box top from touching the pizza. In most cases, these savers can also go to a recycling center.
Finally, camp administrators should know if a specialty recycling facility must be called to recycle the boxes. In many cases, a trash-removal service can handle that. The service may even be paid to do so. However, Domino’s now lists recycling plants throughout the country. Visit the website to find one near you.
As more children return to camps, here is yet another way to focus on sustainability by picking up the phone and ordering a pizza. And when the box is empty, you’ll know just what to do with it.
Michael Wilson is Senior Vice President of Business Development at AFFLINK, a distributor membership organization made up of more than 300 distributors in North America. He has been with the organization since 2006 and provides strategic leadership for distributor members around the country. In his free time, Wilson works with the Wounded Warrior Project, helping veterans heal and get their lives back on track. Reach him via the website at www.afflink.com.