How to Get Rid of Cardboard Boxes When Curbside Won’t Take Them

The move is over, but the boxes aren’t. They’re stacked to the ceiling in the garage, your recycling bin was already full by Tuesday, and the trash truck skipped everything you left on the ground by the bin.

To get rid of cardboard boxes, flatten and recycle what fits in your bin. Drop the overflow at a recycling center, give away or reuse what’s still in good shape, and book a cardboard box pickup when the pile is too big for all of that. LoadUp pickup starts at $62.

Below, you’ll see why curbside skips your pile, how to break boxes down fast, five ways to get rid of them, and when a pickup is worth it.

Most curbside programs take cardboard, but only what fits in the bin, and only if it’s prepped the way your city asks. A bin built for a week of cereal boxes isn’t built for a move. Piles usually get left behind for one of these reasons:

• The bin is full. Many programs won’t take loose boxes stacked next to it.
• The boxes aren’t prepped. Programs often want boxes emptied, flattened, and dry, and some set size or bundle limits.
• The cardboard is wet or greasy. Soaked or food-stained boxes can ruin the fibers recyclers need.

If your city offers bulk pickup, you usually only get a few a year. Cardboard is a poor use of one. And if you already missed your regular day, our guide to what to do if you miss garbage day covers your next steps.

Then there’s wishcycling: tossing something in the bin and hoping it gets recycled. Boxes still full of foam, plastic, or food can contaminate a load, and contaminated loads can get rejected. EPA’s recycling tips say the same thing: keep it clean and dry, and empty and flatten your boxes.

It’s worth getting right. EPA estimates that 96.5% of corrugated boxes were recycled in 2018, one of the highest rates for any material. Sending cardboard to a landfill wastes something recyclers actually want. For a sense of how long other trash sticks around, see our guide to how long garbage takes to decompose.

Breaking down a box only takes a minute. Empty it, pull out anything that isn’t cardboard, and flatten it.

1. Empty the box. Remove packing peanuts, bubble wrap, foam inserts, and plastic.
2. Peel off big strips of tape and any plastic straps. Small amounts of tape usually aren’t a problem, but long strips are worth pulling.
3. Flatten it. Cut along one seam, or push in the sides so it folds flat. Stomp on it if you’re feeling feisty.
4. Stack it and keep it dry. Check your city’s size and bundle rules, and store the stack somewhere dry until pickup day.

Booking a pickup instead? You can skip the flattening. It can speed things up and may lower your volume, but it isn’t required.

Pick the option that matches your pile.

1. Put them in your curbside recycling bin

This is the simplest option for a small stack. Flatten the boxes, keep them dry, and fit as many as you can in the bin. Check your city’s rules on size limits and whether flattened boxes can sit beside the bin. Not sure what else is allowed? Our guide to what can go in the curbside recycling bin lists it. Anything that doesn’t fit goes on to the next option.

2. Drop them off at a recycling center

For cardboard recycling near you, start with your city or county website, then try Earth911’s recycling search. Enter “cardboard” and your ZIP code to see nearby drop-off locations. Call ahead to confirm they take what you’ve got, since some limit box size or only accept flattened cardboard.

3. Give them away

People who are about to move will happily take free boxes. Post them on Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor, Craigslist, or a local Buy Nothing group, and list the sizes and how many you have. Leave them on your porch so you’re not scheduling anything.

4. Reuse or compost them

Boxes work for storage, shipping, kids’ craft projects, and even gardening. Flat cardboard makes a good weed barrier under mulch, and plain brown cardboard can go in a compost pile once you’ve removed the tape. Skip glossy, waxed, or heavily printed boxes. Our guide to composting or recycling cardboard covers the details.

5. Book a cardboard box pickup

If the pile is bigger than your bin, your car, and your weekend, schedule a pickup, which starts at $62. The next section covers when that makes sense and what it costs.

A pickup makes sense when you have more cardboard than your bin, your trunk, or your weekend can handle. Common situations:

• You just moved, and the garage is stacked with packing boxes
• Curbside recycling skipped your overflow
• A big delivery or shipment left you buried in cartons
• You run a business and need a shipping carton cleanout

LoadUp’s cardboard box removal service picks up moving boxes, shipping boxes, delivery cartons, appliance boxes, and wardrobe boxes from your garage, a back bedroom, or the curb. Pickup starts at $62, and your price is based on how much cardboard you have, not a flat fee per box. There’s no quantity limit, so a garage full of boxes goes in one trip.

Outdoor pickup starts at $57, and same-day service is often available when you book before noon. Enter your ZIP code, and you’ll see your upfront price in about a minute. Our how it works page walks through the full process.

Prep is simple:

• Empty the boxes. Pull out packing peanuts, bubble wrap, and foam. Boxes with contents or non-cardboard packing mixed in aren’t accepted.
• Flattening is optional. It can speed things up and may lower your volume.
• Keep it dry. Wet, moldy, or heavily greasy cardboard isn’t accepted.

Have boxes with stuff still inside? That’s a job for bagged and boxed item removal. Packing trash can ride along with your cardboard as a waste removal add-on, which starts at $25.

Recycling is the priority wherever local options allow. Your Loaders decide on-site, based on the cardboard’s condition and what’s nearby, so recycling isn’t guaranteed for every load.

Running a business with steady cardboard? Our guide to bulk cardboard recycling for businesses covers ongoing options, and LoadUp’s office and retail service handles one-time cleanouts. Pallets can ride along too, from $10.

Mid-move? Our complete move-out checklist covers what to do with everything else you’re leaving behind. Then your garage goes back to being a garage, not a box fort.