> You can't recycle greasy paper.

> People need to be much more careful about what and how they recycle

I'd say maybe pizza boxes should stop saying they're recyclable and start saying "DO NOT RECYCLE AFTER CONTACT WITH FOOD"...

My local recycling company clearly states that I should recycle used pizza boxes in the "paper packaging" box when searching on their webpage. So I guess it depends on the recycling process.

They should place a layer of grease-proof paper between the pizza and the box. In fact I could swear some pizza places used to do this, many years ago?

But at least Pizza boxes are biodegradable. Unlike plastic waste, they don't end up dispersed in our environment and washing up on beaches years later.

Unfortunately, I don't think the rules of what's acceptable to recycle and what's not are clearly defined or communicated.

I tend to err on the side of recycling because I feel like putting a recyclable in a landfill hurts the environment more in the long run, but it would be nice to feel more confident about which bin to put an item in.

That's up to your recycling company. I have found that most distribute sheets that clearly list what is acceptable: https://www.losalamosnm.us/UserFiles/Servers/Server_6435726/...

Or at least try in a less slick way: https://www.gwinnettcounty.com/portal/gwinnett/Services/Soli...

What a lot of people do understand is why not. For instance, I read an article where my local recycler said that their biggest problem is loose sheets of thin plastic, which jams rollers in their equipment.

And then there's Japan:

http://homeandawaywithlisa.com/blog/2013/1/31/taking-out-the...

I continually have fought this battle with my girlfriend, her mother and roommates… They are convinced you put almost any packaging plastic or paper into recycling. I had to hang the 'what items are recyclable' sheet over the bin.

Well I didn't know that until today. Some information campaigns would be good.

I think they do have information campaigns, but it's hard to tell the information from the disinformation these days.

Parent's point is that recycling is a myth in practice, it's just a form of "selling indulgences" for the son of waste. We're never going to do better, the value of recycling is in the delusion.