6 Ways to Reuse Cardboard Boxes After Moving

Moving might feel like a wasteful activity, materially speaking. You’re purging junk you haven’t used in years; you’re trying to eat up the food you won’t be tossing in the bin; you’re possibly leaving behind investments like your compost, countertops, chandeliers, wall items or other upgrades you made to the home. Oh and the gas mileage on that guzzling truck! And, you’re probably using up a lot of cardboard boxes.

Whether you buy moving boxes or get used ones from a grocery store, this is one part of your move in Vancouver that doesn’t need to go to complete waste. Cardboard has many uses! In this article we’ll cover some ideas on ways to reuse cardboard boxes after moving.

1. Make furniture with cardboard moving boxes.

You’d be surprised how strong cardboard can be. It’s like science…literally. And, when you put sheets of cardboard together with clue, you can get even more strength. When you move, save those moving boxes and make furniture with cardboard. Here are some articles we found on the web to get you started:

Make Furniture With Cardboard!

30 Amazing Cardboard DIY Furniture Ideas

Plus some user-generated ideas on DIY.org here:

https://diy.org/skills/cardboarder/challenges/1351/make-cardboard-furniture

2. When moving in Vancouver, try sheet mulching with old cardboard moving boxes.

Vancouver is wet. And that means, in the fall especially, you get a great opportunity to prep your garden bed or lawn with sheet mulching. Sheet mulching with cardboard is more eco-friendly than using plastic. The idea is that the cardboard will decompose easier and allow water to pass through to the earth below it. Sheet mulching is also just plain amazing because it kills weeds and prevents new ones from sprouting, Overnight, you can have a whole new yard. But it will take lots of cardboard. So save those moving boxes!

Here is how to get started with sheet mulching:

Turn Barren Soil into Black Gold: 9 Simple Steps to Sheet Mulching

Gorgeous Gardens From Garbage: How To Build A Sheet Mulch

How To: The Ultimate, Bomb-Proof Sheet Mulch

How to Suppress Grass With Mulch

Three Easy Sheet Mulching Methods

3. Make drawer dividers and organizers out of cardboard boxes in your new home after you move.

Your new living space means a new way to get organized! Try these drawer dividers using cardboard (and save money buying them!).

DIY: Turn Your Boxes Into Handy Drawer Dividers to Get Organized

How To Organize Your Kitchen Drawers Once And For All

Or, organize by making pencil holders and nifty-looking ‘baskets’ for your new home, using those same cardboard boxes you have lying around after moving. Here is an article with ideas:

Got Extra Cardboard Lying Around? Put It To Good Use With These Four DIY Projects

4. Make kids’ play things with cardboard moving boxes.

There are so many things a cardboard moving box can become if you use your imagination! And when kids are involved, imagination is front and centre. We found a cool article detailing a big list of things you can make with cardboard boxes that kiddos will adore (and possibly keep them busy for hours!):

31 Things You Can Make With A Cardboard Box That Will Blow Your Kids’ Minds

5. Store your moving boxes for shipping things later on.

If your boxes are just the right size (or if you’re willing to do some cutting and taping on your own), you can flatten your cardboard boxes for now, and save them for when you need to ship things later. One example would be Christmas presents. Or maybe returning items to a manufacturer you bought in a store. Or sending your files overseas for your international move before you get there. You get the idea….

We got that idea from this article which lists a lot more you can do with cardboard boxes. Why not give them all the credit that’s due…they’ve thought of plenty:

30 Uses for the Humble Cardboard Box

6. Save cardboard boxes for Metro Vancouver’s green bin program.

Metro Vancouver has a green bin program to keep our food garbage from being a total waste. Sorting garbage is great for the environment. But let’s face it, it’s a hassle and it stinks. You can make it less painful by using cardboard in your green bin, allowing it to absorb some of that stinky garbage moisture.

You can of course, also save your cardboard, cut into pieces, for a healthy compost.

To conclude: make moving in Vancouver less wasteful with these cardboard box DIYs!

Moving doesn’t have to be a waste. If you’re not a DIY-er, there’s always the recycling bin! Keep it green folks!