Most of us will at some point in time have had the situation where we find ourselves with some empty cardboard boxes that we don’t know what to do with. Luckily though, there are a few easy ways to dispose of your waste cardboard that don’t result in it ending up in a landfill.

Recycle

Probably the easiest thing to do when you’re wondering what to do with your used cardboard boxes is to put them in the recycling. As most of us have recycling bins at home that are collected by the council, this shouldn’t require much extra effort and, in the UK, we’re already pretty good at that. In the UK, and across many other countries, paper and cardboard are one of the most successfully recycled materials, with 79% of the UK’s paper and cardboard waste going on to be recycled. Much of this material goes on to be used as other paper or cardboard products and here at Davpack all our cardboard boxes are made from at least 75% recycled material. As well as that, we also offer boxes that are made from 100% recycled material.

Compost them

Cardboard is probably not the first thing you think of when filling up your compost bin, but as cardboard is made from organic material (wood pulp) it does break down into compost. Be sure to remove any pieces of tape (unless it’s gummed paper tape) or staples from the box as these will remain in your compost after the cardboard has broken down. Once you’ve removed any non-compostable elements from the cardboard, shred it into smaller pieces and make sure that it is mixed in with other organic matter such as grass and vegetable peelings and has some moisture to ensure that it breaks down alongside the rest of your compost.

Reuse as storage boxes

A great way to give cardboard boxes a second life is to reuse them as storage boxes around your house. Whatever the type of box you have, you can probably find a use for it. Use big boxes to store bulky items that you might want to put into the loft and smaller, postal type boxes for small items that you can store under your bed. If you’re feeling more artistic feel free to decorate them to take away the bog-standard cardboard box look.

Create something fun

If you’re into arts and crafts, you may not want to throw all your cardboard into the recycling or compost it. Cardboard boxes can be a great resource for many art and craft projects and there are many sources out there for ideas on what to make with them, some of the more adventurous being furniture. Our colleagues over in Sweden recently tested their DIY skill and created a Davpack logo out of waste sheets of single wall cardboard layered on top of each other. This sign now sits proudly in our Swedish office and looks great!

So, the next time you’re wondering what to do with your used cardboard boxes, remember that it doesn’t need to go in the rubbish to later become landfill. Whichever of these options you pick to deal with your spare cardboard boxes you’ll be helping to avoid creating extra waste.

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Rick Stanford

Rick has been a salesman in the packaging supplies business for more than thirty years. Now semi-retired, he divides his time between tending his allotment in north Devon, getting depressed at the continuing travails of his home-town football club Macclesfield Town, and sharing his considerable experience and knowledge with the readers of the Davpack blog. Davpack

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