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Box Recycling: The Best Way to Get Rid of Boxes After an Office Move

Every year, more than 627,000 small businesses open their doors in the United States. Regardless of the industry they’re in, every small business dreams of being so successful that they have to move to a larger office.

When this happens, moving is just one part of the process. You have to deal with the cleanup at the end and the biggest headache people have to deal with is figuring out what to do with all those leftover cardboard boxes.

If you’re prepared, taking care of box recycling can be easy. You just need to know where to start. Here are a few tips to help you get rid of your old boxes quickly.

Take Them to Your Local Recycling Facility

The easiest way to dispose of your old cardboard boxes after moving to a new office is to flatten them and take them to your local recycling facility. As long as they’re corrugated cardboard and don’t have stains or oil residue on the surface, the recycling center should be able to take them.

Just make sure to call ahead and see if they’re open. Some facilities keep limited hours and others only accept certain types of recycling on specific days.

You may also need to break the process into two trips. Depending on the staffing at the recycling center, they may not be willing to accept the number of boxes you’re bringing in at once.

Ask Your Moving Company for Advice

If you worked with a dedicated moving company, don’t hesitate to ask them for advice. They’re used to getting rid of used moving boxes and will be able to tell you what will work best for your company.

They may even be willing to take the boxes away for you!

Keep in mind that most moving companies only offer this service if you purchased boxes from them. If you picked up free boxes from grocery stores or big-box retailers, they should still be able to tell you what you can do with them after the move.

Donate Them to a Local Charity

Charities around your city are almost always in need of sturdy moving boxes. Use this to your advantage.

Call several charities that you and your employees support to see if they need a few boxes. If so, they may be willing to come to pick them up at your office.

Don’t hesitate to be persistent. If the first few charities you speak with don’t need boxes, keep calling around. They may know of other organizations that can help you with your cardboard box recycling needs.

Find Ways to Repurpose Your Boxes

Box recycling isn’t the only option you have. You can always try to repurpose them in your new office space rather than sending them to a recycling facility.

Think about how space is getting used at your new office. Do you have supplies or files that you need to keep on hand, but don’t have a good place to keep them? Your old moving boxes can work as a temporary cabinet.

If you have overcrowded storage rooms, packing and labeling the items inside can help you better utilize the space. You can even use those old moving boxes as temporary work surfaces if you’re still waiting on furniture to get to your new location.

Offer Them to Neighbors, Coworkers, and Friends

Your company probably isn’t the only entity moving to a new building. In fact, many of your employees are likely planning an upcoming move.

Like your business, they’ll need to invest in good boxes to help them transport their belongings to their new home.

Try offering your used boxes to your employees first. If none of them are in need of boxes or you still have some leftover, offer them to neighbors or extend the offer to your employees’ friends.

As an added bonus, you’ll build goodwill between your company and the community at large by offering your unwanted boxes to the public.

Store Them for Future Use

As your company grows, your needs may change again and when this happens, another office relocation will be on the horizon. You’ll need sturdy boxes to handle the move, so why not save your old boxes for future use?

Break them down and store them flat in a dark and dry room in your building. Storage closets, warehouses, and even little-used corners of the breakroom are all good places to house old boxes.

Keep in mind that you’re free to recycle any boxes that you don’t have room for. You’ll always be able to acquire new boxes if you don’t have enough in the future.

Sell Your Old Boxes

Believe it or not, it’s possible to sell your old boxes. According to the experts at Thegaylordboxexchange.com, you may be able to sell your boxes locally or to a dedicated reseller. The only thing you need to make sure of is that the boxes are in good condition.

If there’s damage or extensive writing on the sides and surfaces, you may not be able to sell them. Look through your box stash and see if any are in clean and like-new condition. Get rid of the boxes that have visible damage or too much writing on the surface and sell the ones that are in good shape.

You won’t make thousands of dollars, but you’ll at least be able to recoup a portion of the cost of your move.

There’s More Than One Way to Handle Box Recycling

Though it’s tempting to toss all of your packing materials into a dumpster at the end of your office move, resist that temptation. Instead, make box recycling a priority and help your company be as eco-friendly as possible.

Keep these options in mind and you’ll be able to get rid of those unwanted boxes in no time flat.

Managing an office relocation can be difficult and dealing with your used moving boxes is just one step of the process. Check out our latest posts for more tips to help you and your team get settled in quickly.