The PIZZycle Reusable Pizza Box is Good for Pizza and the Environment

In Italy, you order a pizza and eat the whole thing, right then and there. For some reason, this is not a common practice in the US

It's not that we don't like pizza. Americans consume those three billion pizzas every year. From what I gather, we like different things about pizza: its slicing, its ability to be reheated, and, most of all, its mobility.

Although formally Italians defined the concept of pizza at the beginning of the 18th century, Americans are credited with the creation of the pizza box in the middle of the 20th century. Since then, its design has remained unchanged. Surprisingly, this is a German company, PIZZyclethat may change the way we think about pizza delivery.

For the past 70 years or so, most pizza boxes have been made using corrugated cardboard. Although this particular paper product is usually made of 52 percent recycled materialswe reduced the approx 4,290,000 trees every year in the US to meet the annual market demand of two billion pizza boxes. More than that, despite the fact that 94 percent of Americans have access to the community paper recycling programsmany well-intentioned people wonder if you can recycle pizza boxes (the answer: yes, you can). Because of this, our quick and easy food has a long-lasting and harmful effect on the environment.

So it's time we all got a PIZZycle.

Usually, I'm not a fan of kitchen utensils that serve a single purpose, but I believe that every household needs this container that is designed only and specifically for transporting pizza. While it may take time for restaurants to get on board (and out of the box) to implement community hiring programs that facilitate zero-waste delivery, it's easy for individuals to reduce their consumption. in pizza boxes in other ways. I placed takeaway orders for pick up so I could bring my PIZZycle to the restaurant, making sure to arrive early before they had boxed my order. And when I eat at the pizzeria, I bring it too, in case there are any leftovers. My favorite occasions to use my PIZZycle, however, are when I make pizza at home on an Ooni, then pass it around to friends or family.

The PIZZycle is a well-designed container. It is round and sturdy – which helps to preserve the structural integrity of the pizza and its toppings because it does not slide during transport – with holes around it to allow the steam to escape evenly so that prevent dehydration. It's also stylish in a modern, minimalistic way and comes in a variety of colors with fun names like “olive,” “dough,” and, my favorite, “red wine.” In the spirit of convenience that inspires pizza and pizza boxes, the PIZZycle is dishwasher safe.

For the price of a pizza in an average American city these days, it's more than worth the investment in a PIZZycle — if not to protect the environment, then at least to protect your pizza.

Elena Valeriote is a writer of stories about food, farming, culture, and travel that explore the connection between people and place. His work has appeared in publications including Gastro Obscura, Modern Farmerand Life & Thyme.

PIZZycle

Prices taken at the time of publication.