As Online Holiday Shopping Booms, Americans Urged to Recycle Cardboard and Paper Packaging Properly
For Americans looking to stay sustainable this holiday season, a few simple actions go a long way.
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As more Americans turn to the convenience of online shopping during the holidays, millions of households are finding stacks of cardboard boxes and paper packaging at their doorsteps — and experts say that can be a win for recycling if handled correctly.
According to PwC’s 2024 Holiday Outlook, over 82% of consumers chose home delivery for online shopping this year. Meanwhile, Adobe’s 2025 holiday shopping forecast projects that Black Friday online sales will exceed $11 billion for the first time. Add to that the surge in food deliveries — Thanksgiving Eve now ranks as the fourth-busiest pizza ordering night of the year — and it’s clear just how much paper and packaging Americans will handle in the weeks ahead.
The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) says this season’s consumer habits are also an opportunity to reinforce good recycling practices. Paper and cardboard are among the most widely recycled materials in the U.S., but success depends on proper sorting.
“Recycling success starts at home,” according to the AF&PA. “Families can help ensure that cardboard boxes and paper packaging get new life by recycling them the right way — clean, dry, and free of non-paper materials.”
That includes familiar holiday items like cardboard shipping boxes, paper-padded mailers, and even pizza boxes. Despite popular myths, pizza boxes are recyclable in most cases, as long as they’re not soaked with grease or food remnants.
The AF&PA offers a practical guide to holiday recycling, noting that many common decorations and wrappings belong in the trash rather than the recycling bin. Wrapping paper with metallic finishes, tissue paper, bows, ribbons, and glittery cards are frequent offenders that can contaminate clean paper streams.
For Americans looking to stay sustainable this holiday season, a few simple actions go a long way:
- Flatten and break down boxes to save room in bins.
- Remove plastic liners, tape, and bubble wrap when possible.
- Keep paper and cardboard clean and dry.
- Check with local recycling programs for specific guidelines.
With more packages and pizza boxes on porches nationwide, recycling the right way is one of the simplest gifts consumers can give the planet this holiday season. Small changes in how households handle their packaging can add up to big environmental results.
To learn more about proper paper recycling during the holidays, visit the American Forest & Paper Association’s website.
