alright, i work at a pappa john's restaurant and i was asked to break down cardboard boxes and throw them in the dumpster. i felt like i was throwing away puppies. :/ so wasteful. not to mention how wasteful it is that they use tons and tons of cardboard boxes on their pizzas that probably aren't even recycled by the people who buy the pizza.

what can i do? i'm not a consumer to them, so i feel like they wouldn't care if i wanted them to adopt a recycling service. and i don't think i could ever encourage the whole pappa john's company to cut back on it's packaging. does anyone have any ideas on how i could battle this or at least not lose my sanity?

It's strange they don't have cardboard pickup like so many other businesses. Is there no cardboard recycle pickup in your city?

Try writing to the president/CEO of Pappa John's, try to bring it to their notice that recycling is important to Pappa John's employees and customers. You might try getting up a petition to send along with your letter, with as many signatures as you can get of PJ employees and customers who care about this issue.

You could get my boss on them, we don't have a professional recycling service for bottles and what not here so she takes them all home to recycle there. We all joke that the garbage man must think shes an alcoholic (shes bringing home a whole resturants beer bottles, etc.). Anyway, if she catches us not putting bottles in a bag to recycle she hits us on the back and yells. Kind of abusive, but funny.

despite living in the most liberal city ever, the recycling here is terrible. my apartment doesn't have a recycling pick up. i lived in dorms for two years, and those don't have recycling pick up. so i have all this recycling amassed that i have to drive to a recycling center. but i'm so busy during the week, i haven't had time. :/

We have recycling every two weeks here but you have to take your stuff to the recycling dumpster. My mom really hates throwing away paper she says it is such a waste I feel that way too.

When I worked at Panera Bread Co (aka St. Louis Bread Co), I just started taking the recyclables myself. People caught on quickly and started saving bottles for me, so I wouldn't have to dig them out of the trash. If you want it to happen, you have to make it happen. If you don't have time, then you can't really expect anyone else to either. Start by talking to your boss(es) and go from there.

It's strange they don't have cardboard pickup like so many other businesses. Is there no cardboard recycle pickup in your city?

Try writing to the president/CEO of Pappa John's, try to bring it to their notice that recycling is important to Pappa John's employees and customers. You might try getting up a petition to send along with your letter, with as many signatures as you can get of PJ employees and customers who care about this issue.

If you make a petition, I will sign it, Shine. Just let us know how it's being made available.

I wrote them the following on the "customer feedback" form on their site:

Hi!

First of all, I want to tell you that I am really happy about all the times I've been able to request cheeseless pizzas from you guys and you make them right up. Thanks. Your crust and toppings rock.

It's come to my attention from corresponding with an employee (in a different U.S. city from my own) that not all Papa John's recycle their cardboard -- some of it goes to the city dump. Considering the sheer volume of cardboard that goes through just one restaurant, I found hearing this rather disappointing. Cardboard can easily get piled up in a landfill and last for decades without breaking down. :( Can you please make sure all your restaurants recycle their cardboard? If we aren't recycling, we're contributing to the pollution of the Earth. Please help reduce our destructive practices.

I have the same problem where I work. It is GROSS how much cardboard my boss throws away. I often take it to get recycled but I can't take it all. What makes me at bit frustrated it that, my boss knows that I recycle the bosses and never once thought, hey maybe I should be recycling?? ALso, once I saves up a lot og boxes that were going to be thrown out and I wrote a note on there asking that to please not throw away the boxes because the original company will COME TO MY WORK AND ACTUALLY PICK THEM UP TO RECYCLE!! Naturally, they all were thrown out. Ugh, makes me so mad.

Although I try to help the environment in lots of ways, I do not consider my self an environmentalist, but the blatent disregard for certain concerns really ticks me off!

alright, i work at a pappa john's restaurant and i was asked to break down cardboard boxes and throw them in the dumpster. i felt like i was throwing away puppies. :/

Take them home. I hear they're easy to housebreak.


:p

When I worked at Panera Bread Co (aka St. Louis Bread Co), I just started taking the recyclables myself. People caught on quickly and started saving bottles for me, so I wouldn't have to dig them out of the trash.

I don't know if I'm willing to drive to work everyday or very often at all. :/ excuses, excuses...

Doctor offices also have this problem. You would not believe the paper we go through and how much paper type garbage we throw away, as well as cans, boxes and plastic. When I complained to my boss she said it was up to the office complex to set up recycling for the entire building. When I contacted the office management they only put me off. People, especially companies still need a lot of education about recycling. Our future depends on it. Don't give up. Someday, hopefully, everyone will be recycling and our world will be better... hopefully before it's too late.

Shine, why don't you break down the boxes and put them in your vehicle instead. Then you can drive them to the recycling center. If you don't have a vehicle, just get someone to help you. petitions are great and all that but if you really want to make a difference you have to roll up your shirt sleeves and get to work. Even if it doesn't seem like a lot with just the one pizza place, it is. It makes a difference.

If you're worried about getting gunk on your car seats consider the cause and get a stiff upper lip about it. ;)

-Best

Most cities have recycling programs for cardboard and stuff. Sometimes there's a cost, sometimes it's free removal, and sometimes the business is even paid. In any case, it usually reduces the cost of trash removal for a company and using the bottom line is the best way to get a company to listen.

Do some research in your town and see what resources are available.