Residential recycling and disposal search tool

Paper plates, food boxes and trays

How to compost food soiled cardboard and paper

Paper takeout containers (food-soiled)

Paper plates (food-soiled)

Paper plates (clean)

Paper clamshell takeout boxes

Paper trays

Burger boxes

French fry boxes

Examples of food paper products

  • Paper plates including disposable party plates
  • French fry boxes
  • Burger boxes
  • Paper food trays 
  • Paper takeout containers

How to dispose

There are two ways to dispose of food paper products depending on whether they are clean or food-soiled.

A lot of grease, sauce and food chunks

  • Put into your green cart

Put food-soiled paper plates, trays and boxes into your green cart for composting (sauce-covered or lots of food chunks). 

Mostly clean paper

  • Put into your blue cart or take to a community recycling depot

Place clean paper (a little grease is ok):

  • Into your blue cart for recycling
  • Take to a community recycling depot

Special instructions

  • If the item has a glossy shine to it, it must be labelled as “compostable” in order to go in the green bin. Items may have a plastic lining to prevent the container from becoming soggy. Keep all plastic out of the green cart.  
  • If you have a paper container labelled as "compostable", see Compostable Paper Takeout Containers. 
  • If you have a paper container that has a glossy shine that does not say “compostable”, see Paper Takeout Containers – plastic lining.

Explore similar items

Plastic compostable takeout containers

Paper napkins

Paper takeout containers

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