How to Reuse and Dispose of Amazon Boxes
This week, The Verge reported a massive attack by Amazon cardboard boxes on recycling plants everywhere, otherwise known as the “Amazon Effect.”
According to Sims Municipal Recycling, one of the nation’s largest recycling businesses and accepting most of New York’s recyclable materials, corrugated board – the one used in Amazon boxes – currently accounts for nearly half of the local recycling stream compared to 15%. in 2004
And while this surge cannot be isolated from Amazon’s packages alone, the retailer certainly hasn’t helped with the launch of its two-day and even recent one-day shipping guarantees for Prime customers. (Back in 2017, Amazon said it had shipped over five billion products to its Prime users, which apparently doesn’t even factor in the number of shipments to non-prime customers.)
With China’s continued ban on imports of our recyclable materials, the increased use of Amazon packaging is putting more pressure on US recycling businesses. The increase in recycled cardboard by consumers also poses huge quality problems. (As Verge points out, increasing the amount of cardboard coming from consumers versus businesses is especially bad because consumers are more likely to throw away a cardboard box containing other recyclables that could spill on or otherwise contaminate the cardboard. recyclable material.)
If you haven’t followed our holiday shopping tips on how not to rely on Amazon, or if you haven’t followed our tips on how to reduce your Amazon packaging volume , here’s a quick reminder for Black Friday / Cyber Monday bulk shipments. If you’re planning to exchange gifts during the holidays, stock up on boxes now, reuse them during the holidays, and save yourself (and the environment) from unnecessarily buying gift boxes.
And if you do recycle your Amazon packaging, here are a few tips to keep in mind: First, don’t put any dirty items – and those that come in contact with food (such as pizza boxes) – next to yours. Amazon boxes. to avoid contamination. Align the box to make room in the trash can, of course, as well as for the convenience of your pickup at the curb.
The good news is that while some businesses are phasing out some recyclable materials from their curb programs altogether, cardboard is still fairly widespread. (You can search online for your program rules to be sure, or use the Earth911 search locator .) You can also look for any rules that relate to whether you should remove tape from your packages; According to Recycle Bank , you generally don’t need to worry about removing the tape as most businesses have a process to separate the tape from the box.
As for other packing materials that may be in your package, such as those pesky plastic bubbles, you may have to find your nearest pharmacy or other large store with a change container. They usually accept other plastics such as disposable bags and even dry cleaning film.