Do you want to find a way to get rid of the cardboard boxes taking up space in your home? Did you move in only recently and you have no idea where you can dispose of the boxes you used?
As we become more comfortable with online shopping, the use of cardboard boxes is more common now. Research says that the recycling rate for cardboard is going down even as online sales rise. Once packages reach their destinations, cardboard containers get thrown out.
Remember, you can do more than throw cardboard boxes in recycling bins. In this guide, we’ll show you what you can do to get rid of the cardboard boxes while helping the environment. Keep reading to find out what they are.
1. Go Online
Do you have tons of boxes from your recent move that you don’t know what to do with? Did you know that there are online spaces where you can post what you have to give away to others? Some online sites also allow you to trade, buy, or sell packing supplies.
One of them is U-Haul’s Customer Connect board. It’s for U-Haul customers who’re looking for boxes and other packing supplies they can use for their move. Instead of throwing out once-used moving boxes, why not give or sell them to others who can use them again?
If you know someone who’s looking for a site where to buy cardboard boxes, direct them to your Craigslist page. Make a post on the site with the photos and dimensions of the boxes you have. If you’re feeling generous, post them as giveaway items for anybody who wants them.
You can also sign up to NextDoor, a site that’s made for helping people find or get rid of extra packing supplies. You can also use NextDoor to meet your new neighbors and find services you need to fix up your new home. It’s great for people who want to make friends with their neighbors online.
You can also visit https://thegaylordboxexchange.com to buy and sell boxes. The Gaylord Box Exchange also offers box pickup for recycling, and they’ll cover all your freight costs, too. For this service, you can be anywhere in the United States.
2. Talk to Your Neighbors
Don’t feel like signing up on online sites? If you’re a people person, you may enjoy going to your neighbors instead to ask them if they want cardboard boxes. You never know that they may be looking for one.
It’s also useful to keep an eye open on items they may want to use their boxes for. For example, ask if their kids want a makeshift playhouse or toy box. If they have cats, they may be looking for new cardboard boxes for their cats to play in.
When they come around to greet you or you go to greet them, bring up the boxes. You can also post flyers on your front door or lawn to let people know you’re giving away boxes. This is more appealing to you if you’re wary about your neighbors or if you’re not ready to knock on the neighbor’s doors.
3. Use Them to Protect Floors From Paint
Does your home need a new paint job? Do you plan on redecorating and repainting your walls in the future? If so, you want to hold on to those cardboard boxes for the repainting process.
Cardboard boxes are thicker and hardier than newspapers. That means they’re the better choice to protect your floors with. They won’t tear apart when you drag a ladder or stool across the floor by accident.
Don’t forget to use painter’s tape to secure them into place. Since cardboard boxes are thicker, they’ll also be easier for you to kick out of place even when you don’t mean to. Don’t be afraid to cut them by the seams so you can maximize them for space.
4. Reuse and Restyle Them for Storage
Is your room or house full of clutter that doesn’t have anywhere to go? Instead of putting miscellaneous items in a drawer, reuse boxes for storage instead. The thing about boxes is that you can make them pretty before you use them to store items.
Grab colored paper of various hues and wrap them around your box. Add doodles or drawings. You can also staple canvas onto the box and then paint on it for a more striking effect.
If you have boxes of the same size and you want to use more than one, you can create a pattern on the boxes. You can also restyle it so the boxes form an image when placed next to or on top of each other. Encourage your kids to embellish their boxes and to store their toys in them later.
It’s a cheap and relaxing way of reorganizing and cleaning up your home. Are you not getting any good ideas? Go to sites like Pinterest for inspiration and ideas on decorating the boxes.
Don’t feel like beautifying a bunch of boxes for storage purposes? You don’t have to. Use them in your trunk or garage storage instead without having to put designs on them.
5. Upcycle Cardboard Boxes for DIY Projects
Cardboard boxes have more usage than for storage only. You can use them to bring out your or your kid’s creative side, too. The best thing about cardboard is that it’s easy to use for crafting and DIY projects.
Let’s go back to the drawer of miscellaneous items in your house. Everyone has one or two of those. You can make yours more organized by cutting up the boxes and using them as dividers.
If you have a cat or three, leave a box or three in the corner for their playing area. You can also upcycle that box into a kitty playhouse. It’s as simple as attaching boxes into a fort of sorts.
For kids, encourage them to get creative by using the boxes to make toys and costumes. It can be something as simple as making a dragon costume. Your little princess may want a playhouse made of large cardboard boxes that looks like a castle or fort.
Repurpose cardboard boxes to hold up your books on the shelf. You can also repurpose them as a fashionable lampshade or porch lantern. For your office, you can turn a small cardboard box into a stylish pen holder.
6. Compost Cardboard Boxes
If you have a compost pit in the backyard, you can add cardboard boxes into the mix as brown material. Don’t forget to shred the cardboard down before you add it to the compost. You can also use cardboard as an organic garden path.
Try the compost method called lasagna gardening or sheet composting with broken-down boxes. It’s when you place layers of organic materials and wait for them to break down for planting herbs or flowers. When you lay down cardboard bits in lasagna gardening, they help block out weeds.
If you don’t do much gardening, look for a neighbor who does. You can donate to schools or community gardens that need cardboard for gardening. New gardeners trying out lasagna gardening will appreciate the boxes since they need a lot of it.
7. Give Them Away to Local Online Stores
If you know of a local business that uses recycled packaging materials, give them your boxes. It’s a cost-effective business principle that’s also safe for the environment. They’ll appreciate it, especially since they won’t have to order new cardboard.
If you have an online store or a small business that offers delivery services, don’t throw out your cardboard boxes. Instead of looking for places where to get cardboard boxes, use what you already have. It’ll cost less and you can market that your store uses recycled items for packaging.
You can also donate them to local retail stores. Note that retail stores likely have tons of extra cardboard boxes ready for packing. If you ever need boxes, you can get them from retail stores.
8. Drop Them at a Local Recycling Center
Most cities have a recycling center, and boxes are some of the best things they get. Corrugated boxes had a recycling rate of over 88 percent in 2017.
Most recycling centers have a recycling day, which is a set day for collecting recyclables. Find out what when recycling day is in your city or neighborhood. Store your boxes until recycling day comes.
Break your boxes down so it’s easier to store them. At the same time, it’s also easier to collect them. If you can, keep your boxes from moist places since there’s no recycling market for wet cardboard.
Get Rid of Cardboard Boxes the Correct Way
If you plan to sell them or use them for exchange, don’t forget to keep the cardboard boxes you have clean and fresh. You don’t want to give away cardboard boxes with oil stains or waterlogged parts. Those kinds of boxes are better off in a compost pit, especially when they’re already ruined and unusable.
That’s it for our guide on how you can dispose of cardboard boxes. We hope this guide helped you find an effective and useful way of discarding cardboard boxes.
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