If you shop through Amazon a lot...

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

...what do you do with all the dang boxes? For the most part, they're not big enough to use as storage or moving boxes. I managed to give a bunch away before Christmas to someone who had a home based business and also came to pick up bags of packing material, but now I have another huge stack. I love Amazon Prime with a fierce and burning passion, but the guilt over the packaging waste is starting to get to me :( (And I can drop off donations at our local Goodwill pretty easily without dealing with printing, packing, and shipping, so in the end that new endeavor doesn't really help me--though I applaud it!)

 

Thanks!

[marbel]

I save some for shipping gifts, and the rest I recycle.    Maybe Freecycle or Craigslist would be useful for this.  I usually see them used for moving boxes, but maybe there are people who would respond to "free shipping boxes of assorted sizes" listings. 

[mamaraby]

I collapse them and put them in my recycling bin along with the packing material.

[MEmama]

I use mine when I create new garden beds. Lay down layers of cardboard in summer or fall and cover with mulch. The cardboard will smother the grass and break down. I also use it the same way to create mulched paths, like in between flower or veggie beds.

[MercyA]

I recycle them. 

[Guest]

I collapse them and take them to the recycle center.

[Alice]

Use them for Odyssey of the Mind scenery and props. I coach a team that as a matter of pride only uses duct tape, cardboard and paint. Our entire laundry room is full of boxes because "we might need that". 

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I use mine when I create new garden beds. Lay down layers of cardboard in summer or fall and cover with mulch. The cardboard will smother the grass and break down. I also use it the same way to create mulched paths, like in between flower or veggie beds.

 

Hmmmm... This did not occur to me. I can't think of anything garden related that we need to do at the moment (no more garden beds allowed!!!), but maybe I can stack them until spring and something will pop up. 

[Miss Peregrine]

Put them out with the recycling on trash day.

[itsheresomewhere]

Recycle them on recycling day.

[Heatherwith4]

I use them to ship stuff and pack up giveaways. DS sometimes will burn them in the fire pit.

[scbusf]

I keep a few to use for shipping curriculum. But most I end up recycling. At the moment, I have approximately 1 gazillion of them from Christmas!!!!! This weekend, I'll be flattening them and making a recycling center run.

[whitestavern]

This was just posted here on our forums:

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/633348-psa-recycle-your-empty-amazon-cartons-and-unwanted-items-smart-school-house/

[justasque]

I recycle them, without another thought.  
Cardboard is made from a renewable resource (trees) and breaks down well, so I have no guilt there.
Saving them will invite things that eat them into my home, and can be a fire hazard.  
Like you said, they are not a useful size.  
I need the space more than I need the cardboard, so I choose the space.

(Sing with me - Let it go, let it gooooo!!!!)

[rainbowmama]

Tinder. Random kid projects. Gardening.

[regentrude]

I keep enough so that i always have shipping boxes of suitable sizes; the rest I recycle. It's cardboard, so very easy.

[gardenmom5]

recycle.    no biggie.

 

i do some combining orders =bigger box instead of lots of small boxes.

[Lady Florida.]

I save some to use when I sell things on ebay, and recycle the rest.

[Moonhawk]

I've changed my ordering habits to put things in the cart, wait until I have stuff built up, then ship in as few shipments as possible.  If I need something immediately, I'll ship immediately, but usually I can wait a bit to group things together.  This kinda defeats the purpose of Prime, but I know I can get something fast when I really need it, so I don't mind waiting on other occasions. Another plus is sometimes I go "huh, why did I want that?" and take things out of the cart before placing an order. 

 

Then I break down boxes and put in recycle. 

[KatieJ]

Burning them in the fireplace helps keep,the chimney clean.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Some I save and reuse.  Some I recycle.

 

 

[Guest]

I use mine when I create new garden beds. Lay down layers of cardboard in summer or fall and cover with mulch. The cardboard will smother the grass and break down. I also use it the same way to create mulched paths, like in between flower or veggie beds.

That's flipping brilliant. I've been going out and buying newspaper (since we know no one who gets a physical paper anymore) or weed shield when we do new beds. All this time I've had it for free in the recycle bin!! I'm redoing my beds in March though so definitely going to start saving boxes. Thanks for the tip.

[Laura Corin]

Burning them in the fireplace helps keep,the chimney clean.

 

Really?  I've heard that it can start fires:

 

http://www.guildofmasterchimneysweeps.co.uk/safety_info.php

[Georgiana Daniels]

I use them when I ship other things, and the rest I use for Christmas then recycle. Or at least I hope my parents recycled...we were at their house.

[Shellydon]

I recycle mine

[Wheres Toto]

My kids usually grab a few for random projects and I save some to use for our 4-H STEM club.  The rest we recycle.

[MotherGoose]

Hmmmm... This did not occur to me. I can't think of anything garden related that we need to do at the moment (no more garden beds allowed!!!), but maybe I can stack them until spring and something will pop up.

When the weeds pop up through the mulch, put them down to kill them :). Or in bare paths, etc.

[MotherGoose]

That's flipping brilliant. I've been going out and buying newspaper (since we know no one who gets a physical paper anymore) or weed shield when we do new beds. All this time I've had it for free in the recycle bin!! I'm redoing my beds in March though so definitely going to start saving boxes. Thanks for the tip.

Tear off the plastic tape first. Also cut them to open entirely flat with a box cutter and overlap the flap ends or weeds will grow through the spaces.

[The Girls' Mom]

I use them to ship my sold art pieces.  I make art dolls and the smaller Amazon boxes are the perfect size.

[KatieJ]

Really? I've heard that it can start fires:

 

http://www.guildofmasterchimneysweeps.co.uk/safety_info.php

We have been told cardboard burns very hot and helps keep,it clean. We have had it inspected, and we have a very clean chimney. 20 years in this house.

[Janeway]

...what do you do with all the dang boxes? For the most part, they're not big enough to use as storage or moving boxes. I managed to give a bunch away before Christmas to someone who had a home based business and also came to pick up bags of packing material, but now I have another huge stack. I love Amazon Prime with a fierce and burning passion, but the guilt over the packaging waste is starting to get to me :( (And I can drop off donations at our local Goodwill pretty easily without dealing with printing, packing, and shipping, so in the end that new endeavor doesn't really help me--though I applaud it!)

 

Thanks!

They make great building blocks for the kids. Put a local ad out to give them away free if you don't want them. Someone will take them.

[KungFuPanda]

You can compost them.

[Seasider]

I use mine when I create new garden beds. Lay down layers of cardboard in summer or fall and cover with mulch. The cardboard will smother the grass and break down. I also use it the same way to create mulched paths, like in between flower or veggie beds.

I do this or break them down and put them in the recycling bin.

[J-rap]

We recycle ours.  A big truck comes and picks them up every Wednesday.

 

 

[heartlikealion]

Do you have recycling?

 

Not everyone accepts cardboard. My parents have recycling but cardboard is not on the list. I don't have curbside recycling and would have to drive them to another town to recycle them.

 

 

[Liz CA]

We recycle as well or re-purpose. But I always do shake my head when I ordered a little bottle of supplements and it comes in a box ten times its size.

[displace]

I use mine to declutter (ironically).

[CadenceSophia]

We burn them. Sometimes we do use them for gardens but not anywhere near the scale of extra cardboard we have

[AngieW in Texas]

My dh has an ebay comic book business. He uses some of the boxes for shipping, but mostly he cuts them down to use as backer boards in his shipments to make sure that the orders that go out in post office envelopes don't get bent.

[Guest]

I use mine when I create new garden beds. Lay down layers of cardboard in summer or fall and cover with mulch. The cardboard will smother the grass and break down. I also use it the same way to create mulched paths, like in between flower or veggie beds.

 

WHAT A GREAT IDEA!  Yes I am yelling.  

 

Thank you.

[frugalmamatx]

I use ours for chicken coop bedding. I cut into 1" or so squares and just fill a bag as I go. A 55 gal contractor bag of chipped cardboard uses up a lot of boxes. I normally chip cardboard while watching a movie or tv show, so it's easy to do a little here and there. When it's time to clean out the coop, the used cardboard goes into a compost pile to break down and then the compost is used in my garden. 

 

I also use for garden beds weed prevention as well. 

[StaceyinLA]

I keep them and use them for wrapping gifts, boxing up stuff I need to store, shipping things I sell, etc. I love the garden idea mentioned upthread though, and may do that in the early spring!

Edited January 1, 2017 by StaceyinLA

[Guest]

I use ours for chicken coop bedding. I cut into 1" or so squares and just fill a bag as I go. A 55 gal contractor bag of chipped cardboard uses up a lot of boxes. I normally chip cardboard while watching a movie or tv show, so it's easy to do a little here and there. When it's time to clean out the coop, the used cardboard goes into a compost pile to break down and then the compost is used in my garden.

 

I also use for garden beds weed prevention as well.

So do you have a rec for really good strong scissors, or do you just have amazing hand strength?

[Miss Peregrine]

So do you have a rec for really good strong scissors, or do you just have amazing hand strength?

I use a razor cutter for cardboard.

[FaithManor]

We have a wood boiler - we heat with wood or propane depending on if we are home to feed the fire or not around enough - so half the boxes go to recyclying and the other half to fire starter.

[FaithManor]

My friend uses gift wrap and cheap wallpaper to turn them into cute organizer boxes for storage. All her kids have them stacked in their rooms filled with legos, playmobile etc. She says that the wallpaper is best because it gives a measure of strength to the boxes and lasts longer than wrapping paper. She has a stack of smaller ones on her desk holding office supplies. Her den is outdoor themed - pine trees, black bears, etc. She found a huge roll of adorable wallpaper that matches the theme and it was something like $5.00 at a discount place so she can keep replacing and repairing. In the corner she has larger boxes in graduated sizes nested together holding paperwork. It looks great compared to a filing cabinet and is organized by year so when a box is 7-10 years old and does not contain something like birth certificates, she takes it out to their bonfire camp ring and simply lights the whole thing on fire. Easy peasy.

[frugalmamatx]

So do you have a rec for really good strong scissors, or do you just have amazing hand strength?

 

 

I use a razor cutter for cardboard.

 

 

I use a razor cutter to cut into strips, and then kitchen shears to cut the strips into chips. But yeah my hands are pretty strong, especially after doing it for a while for days in a row. 

[mommymonster]

This is a new Goodwill and Amazon partnership: https://www.amazon.com/p/feature/xde6cauvpfp66o2

 

Basically, fill up your Amazon box with Goodwill donations, print out a label, and Amazon will pay the shipping to get it to Goodwill.

 

The usefulness of this will depend on where you live (we live closer to a Goodwill than a post office/UPS store), but it may be useful to some!

[Lizzie in Ma]

we break them down and recycle them

[Tanaqui]

In NYC we're required to put cardboard in the recycle bin, so if I have any left after the kids take them for crafts and the cats take them to scratch up and the compost takes them as a carbon and the garden takes them for under a bed - that's where they go!