10 Ways to Reuse Cardboard Packing Boxes (2024)

Cardboard packing boxes are one of those modern-day things that can add up over time and become environmentally devastating. We often accumulate a startling amount of cardboard boxes, whether from presents, online orders, or other shopping trips. These boxes can add up and become incredibly wasteful.

So, here are a few ways to repurpose those boxes and get some extra use out of them.

Ways to Reuse Cardboard Packing Boxes

Even if you recycle your cardboard packing boxes, how much of that gets recycled and reused? We have no way of knowing the answer to that question. That is why it is always best to reuse what you can, giving it more life instead of simply throwing it away.

1. Use Them for Storage

Cardboard packing boxes are an excellent storage option, especially for boxes that are still intact. You can reuse these to store away holiday decor, seasonal clothing, and so much more. These boxes are sturdy and can often be stacked one atop the next, making for easy and minimal storage. You can continue to reuse them until they start to fall apart and no longer prove useful.

2. Save Them to Use for Gifts or Future Packing

Smaller boxes are great for presents for birthdays or holidays. They give you the perfect zero-waste option of recycling the packing materials that you already have. You can avoid using a new box or gift bag and instead use what you already have on hand. These can be taken apart and laid flat for easy storage until you need them.

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3. Make a DIY Cat Scratch Post

Cats love cardboard boxes by instinct, but you can create even more cat fun with these leftover boxes, by can making the perfect flat scratch post. You have to cut the cardboard into strips, make notches so it is pliable, and roll it up piece by piece. This will create a flat and circular scratching toy that your cat can enjoy.

4. Save Them for Decorations

Cardboard packing boxes can be used for all kinds of unique purposes, such as decorations. You can easily cut the cardboard out into special shapes and paint them. Or create unique structures out of them to decorate your house with. This is the perfect zero-waste decor idea that utilizes the materials that you already have in abundance.

Source: Diy Crafts by CraftEnrich/Youtube

5. Make a Cat Castle

If you have an active and slightly destructive cat, you can create a cat castle for them with multiple cardboard packing boxes. Stack them up and build an entire cat castle for your cat to explore and destroy.

6. Use Them to Kill Weeds

One handy trick for killing hearty weeds with a good root system is to lay cardboard over the top to suffocate them. This is an easy way of getting rid of weeds in your garden and yard. You will need to remove all tape from the boxes and avoid any that have been colored. Lay them flat on the ground where the weeds are and use rocks or bricks to hold them down. You want to do this with thinner cardboard when there is supposed to be plenty of rain to help the cardboard break down.

7. Make Garden Mulch

If you want to add some extra bulk and nutrition to your soil for your garden, you can shred up some cardboard. Cardboard is just made of paper which can prove beneficial for soil and plants. To create your own, remove all plastic from the boxes and only use undyed cardboard. Shred-it up as finely as you can and add it to moist soil. To help it break down even faster, water the area with a generous amount of moisture.

Source: The Wisconsin Vegetable Gardener/Youtube

8. Create Artwork

If you are artistic, you can easily turn an old cardboard box into your next canvas. Simply remove all of the tape and cut out your desired shape. You can sketch over the cardboard or seal over the cardboard and paint directly on it. Just keep in mind that if wet, it will start bending to bend.

Source: Jay Lee Painting/Youtube

9. Put Them in Your Car for Organization

Do you have a messy and unorganized car trunk? Why not add some cardboard packing boxes back there to help you stay organized. All you have to do is arrange them in your trunk and organize the items in your car into the boxes. This is an excellent way of keeping track of important items.

Source: Mana creative corner/Youtube

10. Make Window Covers

If your bedroom window is positioned in a way where the sun comes through and disturbs your sleep, cardboard could help out with that. You can easily create highly effective window covers out of a simple cardboard box. Simply remove the tape and flatten out the box, measuring it and cutting off any excess. Then you can prop it up on your window frame to cover up the sun and keep your room nice and dark. This would work anywhere else in your house where the sun comes in a bit too brightly and can also act as insulation in the winter.

Source: With Love/Youtube

There are endless possibilities for ways to recycle used cardboard rather than carelessly dispose of it after a single use. Help out the environment and try some of these projects!