Short Answer: It depends
Medium Answer: Yes, they are generally recyclable because pizza boxes average a grease content of 1-2% by weight and paper strength loss is minimal for concentrations <10%.^[https://recycling.dominos.com/static/media/grease_cheese_study.bc031166107ef14414e2.pdf] However, many municipalities prefer to play it safe. We should start having a discussion about this and encourage the development of paper mills capable of processing slightly more soiled material.
This isn’t a matter of whether one should disregard municipal recycling guidelines, but to encourage discussion on the current state of cardboard recycling in the U.S.
Appeal to enroll Harrisonburg in Recycle Coach
I was interested in making an appeal to my college town (James Madison University) to enroll in this program since I see that Blacksburg and Charlottesville (nearby college towns) have also enrolled in it. Has any attempt been made to partner with the town of Harrisonburg? Is there anything I and others interested could do?
My town does not have curbside pickup for recycling but supports a strong, sorted items recycling center with similar recycling requirements to Blacksburg. Additionally, there are recycling mobile units that travel on a weekly basis around town which I feel would be a good use of the calendar feature on top of the trash pickup schedule.
Lastly, I love the “what goes where” tool on the embed for municipality specific information and believe it makes recycling more accessible.