Reinventing the pizza box
Think melted mozzarella, tasty toppings, and crust with just the right
amount of crisp. There's no denying that the delivery or take-home pizza is
a crowd pleaser in most homes and businesses, whether you break bread with
carnivores, vegetarians or vegans, or crave extra sauce or a simple white
pie.
Unfortunately, dealing with used cardboard pizza boxes isn't much fun. They don't fit easily in trash and recycle bins, and many recyclers don't accept them because of the food residue or awkward size. Cardboard pizza boxes aren't necessarily easy to break down, and they can leak grease onto your floors or on your clothes.
As every college student knows, used pizza boxes can quickly pile up. In fact, if you stacked up the three billion pizza boxes used in the U.S. each year, you'd reach the moon within two years, according to the green design firm -- Environmentally Conscious Organization, Inc. (eco for short) -- that came up with a so-simple-it's-genius solution. The Green Box looks like a standard cardboard pizza box that comes pre-perforated.
When your pizza arrives, you can easily tear the top of the box into four
makeshift disposable plates. The bottom of the box is also perforated on the
edges and down the middle, so you can easily fold that part into a small
container that fits a few slices -- giving you a convenient place to store
leftovers in your fridge, without having to juggle around everything else.
In fact, the leftover box is a pinch less than half the size of a full pizza
box.
And, perhaps the best part of this patented invention is the fact that
the Green Box is made from 100% recycled cardboard. There is also the option for a vegetable-based coating.
"Our goal is to increase the functionality of packaging and to eliminate
or reduce follow-on waste [additional materials like tin foil, plastic bags
or plastic wrap]," eco inc.'s Jennifer Wright recently explained about the
Green Box, her company's first product. Since consumers have a built-in
storage device for any leftovers, they won't need to fool with extra
materials. And since the box can become handy serving plates, that will cut
down on water and energy needed for dish washing.
Wright -- one of three partners at eco inc. -- explains that since the
Green Box is made out of standard pizza box material, there is no need for
retooling factories or changing the way pizza shops do business. In fact,
she says that the boxes can be purchased for the same price as -- or
possibly less than -- conventional boxes, since according to Wright the
recycled fiber needed to make them costs less.
The Green Box can also be used as marketing for pizza shops, who can tout
the greener footprint, as well as innovative packaging and (at least for a
while) novelty.
According to Wright the Green Box is getting a wide roll out across
America over the next few weeks. "There's been interest from all over, and
it's really exciting," Wright told The Daily Green. She said consumers
should look for them in their local pizza shops over the coming months, and
to ask businesses to consider carrying them if they don't.
More from The Daily Green
Amazing Things Made from Recycled Cardboard
10 Surprising Uses for Vodka
What Do Recycling Symbols Really Mean?
30+ Simple Ways to Save Money
The 7 Super Foods You Should Be Eating
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