EnviroMom salutes Pizzicato!
Folks, what I'm about to tell you will hopefully alter your perception (if it exists) that you, as a consumer, are powerless to enact change. Or possibly it will inspire you to take steps the next time you encounter something you feel is wrong or misleading. No one is more surprised than I am at this outcome.
A few weeks ago I noticed a 'please recycle this box' message printed on the lid of a Pizzicato pizza box. I'd never noticed it before since I'm generally more interested in what's inside the box. But it frustrated me. Why? Because the Portland Metro-area curbside recycling guidelines clearly state that pizza boxes are not acceptable (they are generally contaminated with food and grease), and the Pizzicato chain currently operates exclusively in the Metro area. Kind of a confusing message, wouldn't you say?
It's like when manufacturers of frozen foods stamp 'please recycle' on their boxes. Yes, somewhere you can recycle frozen food boxes. But many municipalities (like Portland) across the US don't accept them because the boxes contain a chemical contaminant that enables them to hold up under cold and wet conditions. Unless you take the time to really understand the recycling guidelines in your area (which in my Master Recycler-educated opinion we should all be doing) most people will see that verbiage and just recycle the box. Contaminants in the recycling stream are costly -- they can ruin entire batches of otherwise clean recyclable waste and end up with everything getting sent to the landfill. In Portland, you can rip off the clean sections of pizza boxes and recycle them, but most people don't know to do this. They either 1) toss the whole box into the recycle cart, or 2) throw it in the garbage. (You can also compost cardboard in your backyard composter by ripping it into pieces.)
So I sent a three-sentence email to Pizzicato's general info address asking why they print this 'please recycle' message, which goes against the recycling guidelines. I did not mention that I write a green living blog. A couple of weeks later I got this amazing response from Felix Rippel, Operations Manager:
Good Day Heather,
I will begin by thanking you for your spirit and say that your assertions are correct. We are in a disheartening time when companies are green washing for no other reason than to drive revenue. I will go on record now in stating that Pizzicato is not one of them. I believe that in order for any sustainability plan to work it must first and foremost have integrity. That being said I want you to know that your email sparked a whole new dialog surrounding the recyclability of our boxes and included discussions with the Dept. of Planning and Sustainability, Metro, and various M.R.F.s. (this means Materials Recovering Facility -- Heather)
My question to them was “what is an allowable amount of food contamination?” Their responses were not as definitive as I wanted them to be. A “negligible” amount of oil or moisture residue is acceptable and will not contaminate the recycling process. What is not acceptable is when actual food waste i.e. crust, sausage, or cheese is present in the box. When it comes to most Pizzicato pizzas, the lightness of our toppings and quality of our other ingredients makes a negligible impact on the boxes’ recyclability. But there is no doubt that the blanket statement “Please recycle this box” could be misleading.
Heather, the result of our edification has led us to redesign our pizza boxes so they become an educational piece, and help our customers become more savvy recyclers. So once again I thank you for helping us get better, and hope you continue down the path of sustainability. If you would like to further discuss this feel free to call me anytime.
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