Paper and cardboard go together.
KAR-ta — short and crisp; kar-TOH-neh — the 'oh' is rounded and clear.
Use this to explain or ask about the paper and cardboard bin. In most Italian municipalities, paper and cardboard share the same collection — but always verify locally.
Carta covers paper: newspapers, magazines, office paper, paper bags, and paper-only packaging. Cartone covers cardboard: pizza boxes (if clean and grease-free), cereal boxes, egg cartons, and packing cardboard. Both are typically collected together in the blue or white bin.
Devo appiattire le scatole di cartone.
I need to flatten the cardboard boxes.
Important practical step; bulky unflattened boxes may not be accepted.
I giornali vanno con la carta.
Newspapers go with paper.
Specific example for common doubt.
Le scatole della pizza, se unte, vanno nell'indifferenziato.
Pizza boxes, if greasy, go in general waste.
Common rule; grease contaminates the paper fraction.
Italians receive enormous amounts of e-commerce packaging. Many municipalities have had to expand paper/cardboard collection frequency. Flattening boxes before disposal is not just courtesy — overfilled bins that cannot close are considered non-compliant in some comuni.