BOXES: Reused and recycled cardboard must be part of your remodel!
November 28, 2007
Your remodel start is looming (and that is a good thing). It is now time for you to move out of the house, and hand your keys over to your Contractor. You start your car to make the trip down to U-Haul for some boxes, because this weekend is the packing weekend. STOP!!
?Each year, over 40 million Americans undertake the rigor of moving, whether across the city, the state or the country. If half of those people reused their moving boxes, either by repacking them, giving them to friends, family or selling them to a company such as EcoBox, no fewer than 200,000 trees and almost 300 million gallons of water could be saved. If only a quarter of them reused their moving boxes, over 100,000 trees and almost 150 million gallons of water could be saved.?
Before you pack, check out EcoBox.
What started as a small venture selling boxes from the trunk of a Buick Riviera, EcoBox has now become a vibrant online storefront, with multiple brink-and-mortar storefronts in Austin, Texas.
EcoBox is a retailer of boxes, and moving supplies. They offer new boxes composed of 70% post-consumer recycled materials. To keep your belongings safe the company also offers biodegradable bubble wrap from Bio Bubble (starts decomposing into oxygen, water and food for microbes as soon as left outdoors in the elements), biodegradable starch peanuts which are also 100% biodegrable, and bleached recycled newspaper which is 100% recyclable.
But wait, not only can you buy your packing supplies from EcoBox, but they will also pick them up from you when you are done moving. Oh and there?s more?EcoBox actually pays YOU to let them pick them up ? or donates your proceeds to a charity! Yes, the company actually picks up your old boxes, writes you a check, and then brings them back to their facility, and reuses them.
Homeowners can sell back both boxes and bubble wrap. As far as peanuts, EcoBox will take them and reuse them as well. They also take back your recycled newspaper packing material. EcoBox actually has a greater demand for the used boxes than they can supply. Dale Malone, Managing Partner with EcoBox, says, ?90% of the customers don?t care if the boxes are used.?
In addition to individual boxes, the company offers complete moving kits in their stores and online. Homeowners can purchase a “kit” of boxes that also includes wrap, and other necessities. These packages are available with both used boxes and new boxes. Dale tells us that these actually do ship rather efficiently if purchased online.
How does EcoBox differ from your local U-Haul store? Well aside from the business of taking back the products for reuse and recycle which is better for our environment, the company says they are more price competitive (e.g. 1/2 the price for wardrobe boxes). Further, you won?t have to stand inline behind two others renting trucks and filling out paperwork, just to buy your packing supplies. Customer service is key at an EcoBox store.
To visit an EcoBox store you need to be located in the Austin, TX area today, but the company will be rolling out franchises in Texas starting in the first half of 2008. As far as those of us not in Texas, we can make a decision to buy online and support an establishment such as EcoBox, we can continue to visit U-Haul, or there is always the option of visiting your local grocery store, and battling it out with other movers to give that precious apple box a second life.
There is another option as well for Southern California residents, and online shoppers. UsedCardboardBoxes.com offers a similar business model to EcoBox. They too are working hard to ?keep the trees in the forest and the boxes off the street.? One thing UBC does do different is that their box inventory is ?rescued? from factory misprints, overruns, or customer returns that a factory no longer needs.
GetWithGreen.com thinks that we will be seeing more of these types of storefronts in the future. We will let you know when we find one in your area. If you know of one, please tell our readers now — so that we can slow the production of boxes, cutting of trees, and reuse a box that is still good!
![[del.icio.us]](http://www.getwithgreen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://www.getwithgreen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Hugg]](http://www.getwithgreen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/hugg.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://www.getwithgreen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://www.getwithgreen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://www.getwithgreen.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
Print This Post
The EPA has established that the number one way to reduce solid waste in landfills is by reuse. The method of reuse has been deemed far superior to that of recycling. For this reason, the BoxQuest Team dreamed up a free national used box
classified that gives access for all to recycle boxes for moving bot landfills. We encourage the reuse boxes of all kinds. Our Used Box Recycling Network caters to families and business who are either
used box buyers and sellers. Here’s how it works:
? Used Box Buyers - in 3 fast clicks of the mouse, you can find out who in your
community may have used packing supplies and moving boxes for sale including shipping & storage
boxes.
? Used Box Sellers - the process is very similar to posting an ad in your local newspaper
but made much easier! In only a few minutes you can list all your used moving boxes for sale plus any box type
(regular or specialty), size (normal or custom) and condition (new or used) while remaining completely anonymous (if you
choose).
Save Your Money, Save Our Environment, Recycle Moving Boxes!
Freecycle is another resource: http://www.freecycle.org - offer up those boxes and you’ll get lots of takers!
Were can I purchase boxes in the Grand Prairie, Arlington area?
bdelacruz-1@tx.rr.com
Hello Bobbi,
I am with a company called EcoBox (www.ecobox.com) located in Austin, TX. We have a large selection of used moving boxes and can deliver to your door step next day. We use Lone Star Shipping which offers very low shipping rates. There also may be some sources of used boxes in the Dallas area as well via http://www.craigslist.com or http://www.freecycle.org. Hope this helps !
Boxfully yours,
Dale Malone
EcoBox.
If you or anyone close to you has ever moved, then you know what going to the back of grocery stores entails. It’s not a pleasant experience in any way. And if your moving anything bigger than a closet, it can get very time consuming.
That’s where UsedCardboardBoxes.com comes in. No matter where you are in the country, it just takes a couple clicks of the mouse you can have quality, used boxes. In less time than it takes you to decide whether to start in the kitchen or the master bedroom (about 1-2 days), all your packaging needs are delivered FREE of charge. Yeah that’s right, FREE SHIPPING.
So SAVE TIME, SAVE MONEY, SAVE TREES!!!
http://WWW.USEDCARDBOARDBOXES.COM
I used UsedCardboardBoxes.com to move my father-in-law. They were everything they said they were and more. Their staff is friendly and helpful, the boxes were delivered on time, and the boxes were in great shape. I would highly recommend them.
Recycling moving boxes is great but they shouuld be reused first. We supply once used cardboard oving boxes in the UK that can be returned back to us fee of charge where either send them out again or shred them for packaging. If you need moving boxes in the UK have a look at http://www.eco-boxes.co.uk
There is also BoxCycle, a nation-wide marketplace for used cardboard boxes. BoxCycle makes selling and buying used boxes easy and offers incredible prices: $0.38-$1.25 for moving-size boxes. Find cheap moving boxes. Give your used boxes new life.
i need help on a project about recycling cardboard boxes! help!!!!comment back
I have an unlimited supply of boxes that I would like to sell. Can you have someone contact me as to what you are willing to pay for them. It seems awaist to discard them but unless I can re-coop the efforts for taking the time to save and provide them to a useful purpose, it just easier to dump them in the dumpster. Let me know if your company is interested.
Thanks
Mike Miller