Why We Need to Stop Using Cardboard Pizza Boxes

Every year, pizzas are becoming more sophisticated. We constantly hear about new chains, recipes, and toppings aimed at making our beloved pizzas even tastier. Yet, one thing hasn't changed: how our pizza is packaged. The iconic square cardboard box is synonymous with this Italian delight, well-known to any pizza lover.

In an article for 'The Atlantic,' Sahil Desai questions whether cardboard is harmful to pizza and if it's even eco-friendly or potentially polluting the planet.

Desai argues that the cardboard pizza box does not keep the pizza fresh. Moreover, he mentions that the pizza box design, first created in the 1960s, hasn't evolved and is due for a change.

According to the article, pizza emits steam which gets trapped inside the cardboard box, making the pizza soggy. Also, the box often fails to keep the pizza hot until it reaches the customer, which is supposed to be its primary function.

Additionally, Desai claims that pizza boxes aren't suitable for storing leftovers because they are too bulky to fit in the refrigerator and usually don't protect the pizza from getting stale.

So, what can be done? While there are more efficient designs on the market, they tend to be much more expensive than the familiar cardboard boxes. Some restaurants have experimented with cheaper alternatives, such as tweaking recipes for better travel. For example, one pizzeria started placing the sauce on top of the cheese, unlike the usual method.

The recyclability of pizza boxes is a debated issue since they are rarely free of absorbed grease. Recycling experts from Stanford University state, "Once soiled, the cardboard can't be recycled because the paper fibers can't be separated from the oils during the pulping process," adding, "Food packaging is a major source of contamination in paper recycling."

Domino's Pizza previously challenged this notion by commissioning a study which showed that even with grease comprising 20% of the box's weight, the dirtiest of pizza boxes could still be recycled without compromising paper strength. Domino's then made recycling a key part of their box designs, creating a website to guide consumers in how to recycle them..