Refuse and recycling carts at the curb
Streets & Urban Forestry

More Cardboard Than the Recycling Cart Can Hold

Cardboard boxes should be emptied, flattened, and put into the recycling cart.

If you have more cardboard than what you can fit into the green recycling cart, you have two options:

  • Option 1: Take it to a drop-off site
  • Option 2: Follow the below rules and stack bundles of cardboard outside the cart on your recycling pickup day.

There are some alternatives as well.

Cardboard boxes will not be picked up as large items.

Option One: Take Cardboard to a Drop-off Site

Empty and flatten your cardboard boxes.

Take the cardboard to the drop-off sites and place them into the recycling area at the site.

Why empty the boxes?

Cardboard boxes have to be emptied and flattened to be recycled. All the packaging material inside them hurts their ability to be recycled.

If your cardboard box has styrofoam in it, just put it in the styrofoam container at the drop-off site.  If you don't know where the styrofoam container is - ask the site attendant for help.  Do not put styrofoam into the same place where you put your cardboard. 

Option 2: Stack Bundles of Cardboard Outside of the Recycling Cart

You must follow these rules in order to have your cardboard picked up on your recycling day.  If you do not follow the below rules, your extra cardboard will not be picked up.

You are limited to 10 bundles of cardboard outside of the cart at one time. 

You may only have excess cardboard outside of the cart two times in a single calendar year. 

Watch the weather before stacking cardboard outside the cart, too. Rain and snow ruins cardboard for recycling. High winds can blow it away.

  1. Empty and flatten all boxes

    Packaging material should not be left inside the boxes. 

  2. Cut or fold boxes into 3 foot by 3 foot squares.

    The measurement does not have to be exact, but it should be close to 3 foot by 3 foot.

  3. Use string or twine to tie the cardboard squares into bundles

    The max height for your bundle of cardboard should be about 6 inches. 

  4. Put your bundles of cardboard out for collection on your scheduled recycling day

    Put the cardboard bundles next to the recycling cart. 

Cardboard Alternatives

Cardboard recycling is easy, but there are alternatives.

Social media groups are a good way to donate usable boxes so they have an extra life. Check your neighborhood groups or the local zero waste or buy nothing groups to see if anyone has a need for boxes.

Boxes may also be donated to a community organization, thrift store, or church.

Some people use big pieces of cardboard as weed barriers in their gardens under mulch (you'll have to search around online to learn more about this.) 

Depending on the box, it might even have value. Vintage video game, trading card, and toy boxes - even empty - can be worth something to the right collector. 

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Trash & Recycling