There is literally tons of cardboard thrown out everyday.  Cardboard litters the ditches and allies of our communities and fills our landfills to overflowing. 

Did you know that 90% of products shipped in the United States is packaged in cardboard?  That’s a lot of cardboard!  Even though 70% is recovered for recycle that is still a lot of waste.

If everyone of us made an extra effort to re-use that cardboard before it hits the landfill or recycling bin it  could make a huge difference.  Here are a few ways you could easily re-use your cardboard.

1. Storage Box:  Choose a sturdy box of any size or shape, with or without a lid.  Pick a fabric that matches your decor.  Now paste the fabric to the every side of your box completely covering all the cardboard.  Make sure to fold under all the fabric edges so they don’t fray.  Add lace trim, ribbon, buttons or any other embellishment you want to decorate your box.  If possible weigh down each side as you go so the fabric dries flat to the box.  Let your box dry completely.  You now have a nice, sturdy box to store your stuff in – for a fraction of the cost of buying a fancy storage box.
2. Shipping Container:  If you send parcels through the mail or courier service an old cardboard box is perfect for you.  Put your item(s) in an old box instead of buying a speciality box.  Many food boxes (ie: cereal, granola bars, etc.) are thin enough that they can easily be cut and reshaped to fit your item.  Open the old box out so it lays flat.  Now when you ‘wrap’ your item flip the cardboard so that the printed side is hidden on the inside and the blank side is out.  Tape all the edges of the box with packing tape and you now have a sturdy, secure box to ship your item in. 
3. Fill:  Use old cardboard to fill up empty space or to cushion the items you are shipping.  Loosely rolling thin cardboard or simply folding thicker cardboard into triangles will create a spongy packing that is much more environmentally friendly that the styrofoam peanuts.
4. Crafts:  Save those boxes for crafting.  Kids are always looking for building material.  A variety of boxes, crayons, scissors and tape or glue will keep them happy for hours.  If you don’t have kids you could as at the local elementary schools if they have a use for them.
5. Templates:  The sturdy nature of cardboard make it perfect for patterns.  Simply trace and cut your pattern out on cardboard and you have a simple, re-usable template for you quilting, woodworking or whatever.  Store the pieces in labeled envelopes and put them in one of the storage boxes you made and your pattern will always be handy.

Cardboard is a wonderful, versatile product.  It is easy to understand why we use so much of it.  The important thing to remember though, is where cardboard comes from – trees!  If we all start re-using our cardboard we can make a noticeable difference in the amount of forest we can save. 

At the very least we should consider planting some trees to replace the ones that were cut down to produce the cardboard we use every day.  The Green Spot has an excellent tree planting program available if you don’t have a place or the time to plant a tree yourself.  Lets make a habit of giving back something for all we take.