I bet you and I have been in a situation where a lot of boxes and plastic packaging were involved when buying furniture or a big appliance; the strain and inconvenience of moving which includes the dragging of boxes. I do! For an environmental point of view, the big headache comes from the piles of boxes and plastic wrappers that remain after settling in your new home or after unwrapping your furniture/appliance?

Before you consider throwing your boxes and packaging into a garage or dustbin, think about recycling them first! Cardboard and plastic is a high value material recyclable and can be recycled multiple times. Recycling boxes utilises up to 50% less energy and reduces pollution by 95% all because the fiber has already been processed.

Be careful not to grease or soak cardboard as that is not capable of being part of the recycling program. For instance, when eating a burger or your favourite pizza, make sure that little to no grease is on the packaging so that you can recycle it. I say this because, knowing grease, it has a character of staying on a box forever and evidently, makes the box unrecyclable. But if it comes to a point where you, while enjoying your pizza end up greasing a section, rip off any other clean section of the box and recycle it instead and throw the grease stained areas in the dustbin. The same rules apply for any wet or soggy cardboard.

Other cardboard items that can be recycled are: cake mix boxes, spice boxes, cereal boxes, and similar cardboard items ALL qualifying as recyclable. Cereal makes for a great midnight snack. But, once you´ve finished the box, make sure to recycle the plastic bag, from inside, as well!

Also members, make sure to flatten boxes before putting them in the recycling container or dustbin if you want to refuse! This saves room for more items to be put in the rubbish bag. Not only does it mean that you save up on rubbish bags, but you save up on money as well! One great pro about this ´flattening method´ is that it makes it extremely easier to transport and process in a recycling and refusing facility.

But If you want to be even greener, why not try reusing old boxes! They are a great way to let younger kids use their imagination.  They can turn a cardboard box into a castle, spaceship, and more! Just let their imagination go wild!

No matter what the circumstance, remember to recycle, reuse, and flatten when clean.

Reference List:

Avoiding Cardboard Recycling and Disposal Mix Up: Easy Cardboard Recycling Tips! 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.mydisposal.com/cardboard-recycling-tips . N/a. Accessed: June 8, 2018. (& Cover image).