How do you shred or crush your cardboard boxes?

[Big Rob]

I saw a thread asking about how we all crush our cans and it inspired me to ask the same thing about cardboard boxes. I get a lot of boxes on a regular basis and haven't found a decent solution.
The compactors I have found are way to commercial and pricey and I have yet to find a set of plans for building my own that would fit nicely in my garage. I'm thinking something made out of a steel drum (they are readily available) and either an electric motor , pneumatic, or hydraulics or a combination of them.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I just break them down and either put them in a plastic tote or another cardboard box. When the recycleable containers are full they to the recycling center or trailer.

 

[Steevo]

In most metro areas, you could easily get a recycler to pick them up regularly, saving you the cost and hassle of baling them.

 

[Hornman]

I use a utility knife to cut the boxes down into flat panels that fit into our city supplied 100 gallon recycling bin. It's amazing how big a pile of cardboard boxes will fit in that bit. That is probably more labor intensive than you are looking for, but it works for me.

 

[Moose364]

Throw them in a burn pile and light them. one of a few perks of living in the boondocks that and the pistol range behind my shop.

 

[whyNick?]

I cut them up and pile them in a corner of the basement. A stack of cardboard makes a good firestarter in my woodstove. I used to scrounge for cardboard, but now with Amazon I never go wanting...

 

[Kracin]

kind of an issue for me as well. i end up with a lot of boxes, and when you buy something it ewill end up coming with the initial box, inside of a shipping box thats bigger, and then all the packing cardboard inside. i get tired of cutting up super large boxes (like the kind you get a metal shed or garage doors in), guess i'll have to either buy that firepit i wanted to put in, or tell the city to give me a recycling bin

 

[Barnabas]

Ditto, but our cans hold 96 gallons.

I use a utility knife to cut the boxes down into flat panels that fit into our city supplied 100 gallon recycling bin. It's amazing how big a pile of cardboard boxes will fit in that bit. That is probably more labor intensive than you are looking for, but it works for me.

 

[finn]

Collapse and recycle, or burn in woodstove season.

Always keep a few large pieces for oil change or other undercar work.

 

[Shadowdog500]

I just collapse the boxes and put them to the curb.

Chris

 

[4xdog]

Most paperboard cartons are shipped flat to the filling line where they're used. There are almost always end flaps or side seams that will spit apart easily to flatten the cartonboard again.

A few packaging styles, like set boxes -- think shoe boxes or cigar boxes -- don't fall into this category, but almost all others do.

I have weekly curbside recycling and a lot of flat paperboard will fit into my recycling can.

 

[Art From De Leon]

The UPS store where I get my mail will take used cardboard boxes for reuse.

 

[KEH]

My county has recycling. I take the boxes to a dumpster station and put them in the compactor. End of problem. Boxes can also be used in a garden to shade out grass. Can be put around shrubbery for the same reason, then wood chips or bark chips put over the cardboard for appearance's sake. Will last a full growing season IME.

KEH

 

[Toxicscrew]

Knock them down, walk out to the alley and put them in the city supplied container.

 

[Gasgt1]

 

[jwh]

Break them down and into the recycling box. Trash hauler picks up with regular trash. Larger boxes I break down and take to county run recycling center.

 

[Big Rob]

All great suggestions but I'm somewhat limited because I live in the suburbs. I don't have alleys for big city bins and I can't burn anything in my yard without the fire department showing up.
I live in Las Vegas and the houses don't usually have real fireplaces. We have gas ones that look nice but you can't burn anything else in them. (I miss the real fireplaces we had growing up in NJ).
I was hoping someone knew of some diy plans for something like this. I'd still have to cut the boxes down a bit but I could really compact them to fill my 96 gallon trash bins.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Cut the tape or peel apart panels that are glued together.
Fold

If it is still to big, unfold flat and cut into manageable sections.

 

[Jawn]

When I get enough for a pickup load, I just pile 'em in the truck, throw a cargo net over them and drive to the recycling center.

 

[stikman56]

I use a utility knife to cut the boxes down into flat panels that fit into our city supplied 100 gallon recycling bin. It's amazing how big a pile of cardboard boxes will fit in that bit. That is probably more labor intensive than you are looking for, but it works for me.

Yeah, same here. Mine's too full, almost every time though. Takes time to break them all down, but no choice when it's that many.

 

[James-W]

I cut them down with a utility knife and flatten them and then I use my table saw to cut them up into smaller pieces. That way I can fit a lot more into the recyclable container. It takes more time to do it this way but it has been working out pretty well for me.

 

[The Cobbler]

break them down flat, stack (and fold if necesary ) inside another or in the recycle bin, curbside for weekly recycle pick up .

 

[James-W]

break them down flat, stack (and fold if necessary ) inside another or in the recycle bin, curbside for weekly recycle pick up.

Unfortunately, we don't have weekly recyclable pickup, we have weekly garbage pickup and the recyclables are picked up every other week. If I don't take the time to cut up the larger cardboard it may not all fit into the recyclable container. For some reason we seem to get a lot of cardboard these days. Not sure why that is, it just is.

 

[rburke65]

I cut the corners with a razor knife, flatten them and recycle.

 

[Toymeister]

I put them (broken down) into new home constuction dumpsters

 

[7th Kahuna]

Small boxes are ripped or cut and folded into the recycling bin. Larger boxes go out to the curb or behind the office where they sprout legs, generally within an hour. The big city has a few advantages.

 

[econolamb]

I throw them to our mastiff x and he breaks them down for me, then just into the recycling bin (we get them here down under)

 

[SASORacing]

I have a blue recycle plastic can. I guess some neighborhoods have them some dont. I probably pay more for it through fees I guess? Not sure, but its very nice, they come biweekly

 

[venturesomerite]

I generally don't get rid of them. I unbox them so they can lay and stack flat. I use alot of them for oil catch and masking, and ship alot as well.

When I do get rid of them, generally I'll just take one box, and cut others into bits witha utility knife, then box them in the larger box and and recycle that. Basically box bits in a box.

 

[wyo george]

Every couple months I load them up on my trailer and haul them to the dump. We live rural so we do a lot of shopping online which means a ton of boxes. There is no recycle place near us.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mikegt4]

When I get enough for a pickup load, I just pile 'em in the truck, throw a cargo net over them and drive to the recycling center.

Around here it seems that most people do almost the same.

load in pickup
don't tie done (they won't fall out)
drive to dump
drive past dump because you don't have anything left in the truck bed
drive home and complain about all the people who drop trash along the highway

snow removal guys seem to be the biggest offenders, yellow salt bags are everywhere

 

[Kin Creed]

A good quality utility knife and gloves are a good start.

Stack them up and then break them down all at once. Fit whatever you can into the recycling and the rest waits until next time or load them up to go to the recycling center or a dumpster.

Where I work they have a large dumpster for cardboard so if I have a lot I will sometimes use that.

Recycling centers are your friend also for all things cardboard and paper. Scrap metal too.

Unless you are actually running a business where you are receiving a high volume of cardboard boxes I can't see a compacter or baler being worthwhile. Even commercial baling machines still leave you with a bundle of cardboard to dispose, abeit smaller and denser than you can do by hand.

 

[fsae0607]

I use a utility knife to cut the boxes down into flat panels that fit into our city supplied 100 gallon recycling bin. It's amazing how big a pile of cardboard boxes will fit in that bit. That is probably more labor intensive than you are looking for, but it works for me.

This. I also repurpose boxes by using them for oil drip "pans" under my project cars. When they get too gunky I cut them up and trash them.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I use a utility knife to cut the boxes down into flat panels that fit into our city supplied 100 gallon recycling bin. It's amazing how big a pile of cardboard boxes will fit in that bit. That is probably more labor intensive than you are looking for, but it works for me.

That is what I do as well.

 

[creativecars]

Use them to get the fire pit burning good.

 

[texasfiremedic]

I usually cut out the large sections and store them for later use. They make great templates for cutting plate steel in to odd shapes. Use a razor to cut to fit. This is a lot cheaper than saying SH!T I f'ed that up. If you need square edges just get a framing square and cut you a square edge. Sometimes press the object into the cardboard and get your impression and cut out. I guess you can call it the cheap mans template.

 

[andys]

Utility knife, two feet, forearms. They take care of all types of cardboard and then they go in the giant single stream container. I have a second recycle can that I put the cardboard in if there will be too much and cause trouble with the milk jugs, etc. fitting in there.