METCALF MOVING BLOG
Clever Ways to Reuse Those Moving Boxes After Your Move
Whether you’ve just moved offices or relocated into your dream home, it’s likely that you now have a hefty stash of moving boxes lying around.
Every year, 55% of America’s trash ends up in landfills. Don’t contribute to the problem.
Give your used boxes a new lease on life with these top tips to repurpose cardboard boxes in an eco-friendly way.
Get Organized
Make some do-it-yourself storage boxes and get organized.
Glue some fabric onto boxes of the same size, and add a decorative strip of basketry seagrass or ribbon. You can stack these in shelves to make handy drawers for organizing clothes or trinkets. These decorated boxes are also ideal for office storage, especially in that often unused space beneath the last shelf of a bookcase.
These boxes are perfect for storing those items that usually find their way onto the nearest side table like mail, TV guides and even the remote control.
Get Creative
There are so many crafts that involve cardboard that you’ll never run out of ways to use your old cardboard boxes.
Cardboard is a mainstay of crafting. With a few scraps of paper or fabric, some glue, and a few embellishments you can create many decorative objects with cardboard.
Some of these include:
- Trendy greeting cards or gift tags
- Coasters for drinks
- Colorful party decor
- Labels for decorative boxes
If you flatten the boxes, they’re easy to store flat in the garage. You never know when you’ll need some sturdy cardboard for a last-minute school project.
Pamper Your Pet
Most pets, especially cats, love empty cardboard boxes anyway, but you can take it to a new level by creating a cat hammock from a sturdy box.
Cut the sides off the box, leaving a space around the edges to that your empty box has a frame, a roof, and a floor.
Next, tie a suitably sized blanket from corner to corner halfway up, and your kitty has a new favorite resting spot to call their own.
With a little more creativity, you can make a teepee for your cat or a small dog too. Here’s how to do it in pictures.
Give to Someone Who Needs Them
If you don’t want to get creative with your used moving boxes, you may have friends who will. Ask around to see if anyone wants your used boxes before you discard them.
If you don’t know anyone in the area yet, place an ad on a local Facebook group or the online site NextDoor.
There is bound to be someone who is about to relocate. They’ll be happy to take the boxes off your hands, and it’s an excellent way to make a new acquaintance in your new neighborhood.
Ask Your Moving Company
Check with your mover. Many times moving companies have a program to take back gently used moving boxes. They may be able to reuse cardboard boxes or recycle them.
Recycle Them
Log onto Box Cycle’s website. They will pay you a small fee per box and then resell or recycle them.
Check out your town’s website to see about recycling bins or pick-up in your neighborhood, or companies that buy used boxes to recycle them.
We Can Help
From what to do with moving boxes, to helpful packing tips, we are the authority on relocating to and from the Minneapolis area.
Check out our blog for more help with your relocation dilemmas or get in touch for an effortless move, no matter where you’re going.
