The body screams for salt and fat, and the energy to stand by the stove is minimal. The rescue can be just a phone call and a short walk away.
After we've devoured the take-away food, it's easy for the packaging to end up in the household waste. That's where it shouldn't be, regardless of what it's made of or what it contained.
Oily Cardboard
A common take-away myth is that pizza boxes can't be recycled because they're too oily. That's not true, explains Jon Djerf, advisor for material recycling at Avfall Sverige.
It's a myth. Of course, there shouldn't be any leftover pizza, but the food waste should be sorted separately and then recycled as paper packaging.
The same applies to all packaging. Food residues can cause problems in the recycling process.
The packaging doesn't need to be washed, but it should at least be emptied. It's also a hygiene factor for oneself – if you store them at home, it's good to rinse them out.
Avfall Sverige sees a trend towards increased packaging made of plastic, while those made of glass and metal risk decreasing. This has several drawbacks, as glass and metal can be recycled infinitely, and we're worse at sorting plastic.
It seems that many people think that plastic is somehow a bit disgusting and has a certain yuck factor that makes you rather throw it in the residual waste more than other packaging. And that's a problem.
Black Packaging
It's also said that black plastic packaging can't be recycled. That's not true.
They used to say that black plastic can't be recycled because the technology couldn't recognize black. But now there's black plastic that can be read. On the other hand, transparent plastic packaging is easier to recycle.
Even if you're not sure if the packaging can be recycled, it's better to leave it for recycling than to put it in the household waste, emphasizes Jon Djerf. It's a simple rule that even those who have vigorously celebrated the new year can remember.
The rule is that if it's a packaging, you should sort it as packaging. If the packaging is made of several materials that are difficult to separate, sort it according to the material it's mostly made of.
