On February 16, 2026, residents in Stockport, Greater Manchester, received new instructions on how to dispose of takeaway pizza boxes to prevent recycling contamination. Recycle for Greater Manchester updated its official guidance to explain why greasy cardboard cannot be processed with regular paper and card.
The local recycling process for paper and cardboard uses cold water, which cannot remove oils or grease from the fibres. Because of this, officials are asking people to split their pizza boxes by putting the clean lid in the blue recycling bin and placing the greasy base in the general waste bin or a home compost heap.
Boxes bought from supermarkets are usually safe to recycle because the pizza is wrapped in plastic, keeping the cardboard clean. However, takeaway boxes often soak up grease, which can lead to entire loads of recycling being rejected and sent to landfill or incineration.
This update comes as Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council prepares to introduce a £59 annual fee for garden waste collections starting April 1, 2026. By composting greasy cardboard at home, residents can manage their waste more effectively and help reduce the hundreds of tonnes of recycling that are rejected every month due to food contamination.
