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Pizza Delivered in Boxes Made of Staten Island's Recycled Trash

By Nicholas Rizzi | January 7, 2016 3:59pm | Updated on January 8, 2016 7:14pm
 The boxes, made at Staten Island's Pratt Industries, are to promote recycling in the borough.
'Made in Staten Island' Pizza Boxes
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CASTLETON CORNERS — Your pie could now be delivered in a box "Made in Staten Island" from the borough's own trash.

The boxes, which have the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge printed on the front, are made with 100 percent recycled paper at the Pratt Industries factory in Travis.

They're being used by restaurants across the borough to promote the environmental and economic benefits of recycling, said Council Minority Leader Steven Matteo.

"Quite frankly the numbers aren’t high enough on Staten Island and across the city in general," Matteo said. "[The box] makes Staten Island proud and it just shows what recycling can do."

Pratt Industries produced 1,000 of the boxes and gave them to nine pizzerias around the borough for free and will consider selling them to other spots in the future if interest is high, said Myles Cohen, president of the company's recycling division.

The Department of Sanitation and other elected officials visited the Goodfella's Pizzeria on Victory Boulevard to show off the boxes, which were made to give people tangible evidence of what happens to their paper after they recycle it.

"This is the material that comes off the streets every single day, that makes its way to Pratt Industries on Staten Island," said Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia.

"It's an economic benefit to the community, it's an environmentally sustainable approach."

With the boxes, Matteo said he hopes to remind pizza lovers about recycling and increase the numbers in the borough.

Aside from promoting recycling, Councilman Joe Borelli said the boxes serve as a reminder to other boroughs about how many great pizzerias are on Staten Island.

"This box throws down the gauntlet, this box lets everybody know that Staten Island is the new home for pizza in New York City," Borelli said.

"Each borough has one or two great locations for pizza — I’ve tried many of them, they’re very good. Staten Island has consistently dozens upon dozen of good pizzerias that offer great food. And now they’ll have their own trademark and logo."

Aside from Goodfella's, the boxes were donated to A&S Pizza, Giovanni's Trattoria, Giuseppe's Pizza at St. George, John's Pizzeria, La Campania, La Pizza, Pier 76 and Villa Monte.