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Shea Gunther

The Green Box fails the greener test

A supposedly greener pizza box actually conspires to make the entire package non-recyclable.

Mon, Oct 26 2009 at 9:33 AM EST
 13

Photo: EcoIncorporated
You can't recycle cardboard if it's soaked in pizza grease. If your local pizza joint puts a piece of wax paper between your pie and the box, you can sometimes get away with recycling the whole thing; if not you can at least rip off the unstained top of the box to throw in the blue bin.
 
But not if you're rocking the Green Box by eco, Inc..
 

The Green Box is the brainchild of inventor William Walsh and is meant to be a greener choice in the world of pizza boxes.
 
Unfortunately it achieves the exact opposite of what it sets out to accomplish -- it makes the entire pizza box non-recyclable.
 
The top of the GreenBox rips off and splits into four square shaped "plates". The grease from the pizza ruins the recyclability of the plates, leaving the garbage (or the rare compost pile) as the only option at the end of the pizza party. I'm also pretty sure that four paper plates require less wood pulp and energy to be produced than the four corrugated cardboard squares.
 
The bottom of the box folds up into a take-away box, which I admit, is kind of neat, but again, it increases the chances of the cardboard being corrupted by grease or juice from the toppings. In the world of good greener design, neat does not trump sustainability.
 
The GreenBox is a problem wrapped up as a solution in search of a problem.
 
 
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Related Topics: Food, Green Packaging, Recycling

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anonymous
Enter your name 10/09/2011 23:24 PM

NYCTV Link - Commissioner of Sanitation John Doherty says you can recycle pizza boxes. It's a decision for the municipality.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycmg/nyctvod/html/home/tsny_planycsolidwaste.html)

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anonymous
Enter your name 10/09/2011 23:15 PM

Your missing the obvious. It's not about the paper in the box, it's about what you don't need because of the box. ie paper plates, aluminum foil, plastic wrap. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

I think it's better to eliminate than to recycle.

I think it's excellent!!

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anonymous
Anonymous 03/19/2011 02:15 AM

http://[url=http://mbtfanatics.com]mbt shoes sale[/url]

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anonymous
susan 07/21/2010 19:43 PM

What about the BPAs that are present in recycled cardboard? And from the research I've done, food-stained paper is never recyclable, only commercially compostable. We spent over $700 million sorting recyclables in 2008. I'm sure it cost even more in '09.

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anonymous
John 05/18/2010 08:15 AM

I used to recycle my "normal" cardboard pizza boxes, but on the last trip to the recycle center (in North Carolina), I was told that they no longer accept ANY pizza boxes because of the grease. I don't see why this cardboard box is any different from the standard box. Like most people, I don't have a compost pile (shame on me). For the recycle centers that still accept pizza boxes, they will recycle any cardboard pizza box and paper plates. For the ones who don't - everything will end up.... More

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anonymous
Guest 03/09/2010 12:38 PM

The box is recylable, as long as whoever packages the pizzas place a recylable wax lining beneath the pie...and presto you now have a fully recylable pizza box. But lest we not forget that food laden grease soaked pizza boxes are still COMPOSTABLE.

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anonymous
dave 11/17/2009 15:42 PM

not sure where you live, but in the seattle/portland/vancouver, bc area, you are certainly able to recycle these pizza boxes and on top of that, we put cardboard pizza boxes in our utility yard waste bins and the cities compost these boxes for future use in gardens and local landscapes! keep thinking outside the box!

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anonymous
Archie 10/31/2009 19:20 PM

This product saves on PLASTIC and paper disposable plates. It saves on water and detergents. It makes for easier composting (which is required for pizza boxes in some municipalities). It makes for easier recycling (since it is easier to fit the broken down pieces into the recycling bin (also a requirement by many municipalities). So... exactly how on earth does it supposedly fail? The tiny amount of grease that would be transferred to the serving plates by a semi-hot delivered slice of.... More

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anonymous
Penny Lane 10/29/2009 09:30 AM

Shea, I encourage you to do your homework on this innovative product and to review products ONLY once you have had it in your hands. Unfortunately you and many others have not done their homework and are relying FAR to heavily on misinformation on the internet. The recyclability of a pizza box is determined by municipalities and the technological level of advancement of their local recycling facilities. In MANY MANY municipalities, pizza boxes are accepted as long as the grease is not.... More

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sgunther
sgunther 10/29/2009 09:51 AM

I stand by my review. MANY MANY isn't all, which means that there are still a lot of places where you can't recycled grease soaked cardboard. And most people don't compost, so the fact that it can be added to a compost pile doesn't mean much. And how does it make it easier to compost? I also don't see how this product allows for the reuse of anything. The GreenBox is an over-thought, over-engineered piece of green fluffery.

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anonymous
George 07/17/2010 23:59 PM

title 21 of the FDA STATES "corrugated comtainers that are mostly soiled with grease and cheese may not be recyclable in some municipalities.". The real environmental impact is not in the material, it's in the functionality. The storage container eliminates the need for plastic wrap, plastic bags and aluminum foil! Cardboard will compost in a landfill within six months. Plastic wrap and aluminum foil never will. Can't you see the obvious? What's your background / education in? .... More

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anonymous
dave 11/17/2009 15:46 PM

shea, you must live in the most backwards of midwest rural communities....are you denouncing composting as a legitimate process of rerouting material from landfills, as a means of conservation and essential process of sustainability? move to where people and communities are ahead of the pathetic american curve and you'll find that you'll have alot of catching up to do.

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anonymous
Penny Lane 10/29/2009 10:57 AM

I really think you need to do your research more on recycling facilities and the direction they are moving in. Most DO accept them. Yes, there are exceptions, but, think about this - if someone is going to use a paper plate or a plastic plate for that matter...where does it go? Landfill. By using the GreenBox, this is avoided.
Do not stand behind your review out of pride or stubbornness. Before responding with a pat response, do some homework, municipality by municipality and state by.... More

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