Recycling Frozen Food Containers

Frozen food containers vary from pizza boxes, where the food is actually contained in a plastic bag or wrapping, to ones that you throw right into your microwave to cook in and eat out of.

Frozen pizza boxes resemble cereal and cracker boxes and are made of a cardboard material that is recyclable as-is.  The other style of frozen food container is a different story altogether.  These types of containers used to be coated with a very thin layer of wax that you could actually scratch off with your fingernail.

Now, frozen food boxes that are specially designed to be placed directly into the microwave contain a thin sprayed-on layer of plastic to prevent freezer burn.  That added layer prevents the cardboard from breaking down during the recycling process.  Most recycling centers reject these boxes to avoid contaminating their paper and cardboard supply.

When in doubt as to whether or not a frozen food container is recyclable, consider if there was food directly in it.  If so, this type of frozen food box is usually considered a trash item. 

For more information on recycling visit www.wasteawaygroup.com.