14 Ways to Make Money By Recycling Cardboard Boxes Near You

You know all those cardboard boxes you have lying around your house?

Now is the time to go gather them up.

Why?

Because we’re going to explain how you can make money off them.

And if there’s one thing you don’t want to miss learning, it’s how to make money on something you already have in your home that would otherwise get thrown in the trash.

Grab the boxes you have in the basement or crawlspace, head to local stores to get some, or see what you can find for free around the neighborhood and start making money.

Cardboard Boxes Recycling for Money: Where to Sell Cardboard Boxes

Believe it or not, selling cardboard boxes is a thing.

People will gladly pay for boxes in good condition when they need them for moving or packing up stuff for storage.

As long as you have some boxes you aren’t using, you can make a profit selling cardboard boxes that you find for free.

And, you’re even doing the Earth some good because when boxes are recycled, they aren’t taking up space in landfills.

Here are several places you can use to sell cardboard boxes once you’ve gathered a hefty stack.

Craigslist

Craigslist is a good place to try to sell just about anything to people in your area, including cardboard boxes.

However, many may expect you to give boxes away for free there, especially if you don’t have very many.

It’s better to get a large stack of boxes bundled up, so people on Craigslist feel there’s more value to them to come pick them up and pay for them.

Craigslist doesn’t have any payment protections, so your payment is something you’ll need to discuss with the buyer before you both meet.

Facebook

Facebook Marketplace is another option for selling your boxes once you have them all ready to go.

You can either sell them directly on your profile by making a post for your Facebook friends to see, post them on the Marketplace for free, or make listings in Facebook groups for your area that are focused on selling and buying.

If you do list on the Marketplace, you also have the option to share those listings to your profile or to groups you belong to.

eBay

Can’t find anyone who buys used moving boxes in your area?

Try to sell stacks on eBay instead.

Not only can you ship stacks of boxes to people who are in other states – or even countries – who want to buy them, but you can also look for local people to come pick them up.

Just choose the local selling option when you create your listing and people in your area will be able to buy them and arrange a pickup time and date with you.

Boxsmart

Boxsmart is based in Arizona, but it has several warehouses and recycling centers around the United States.

You can fill out a form online to get a quote for sending in all your cardboard boxes.

The company says that it pays as much as 100% more for your boxes than other places will, so you might as well try and see what you get for a quote.

You can also choose whether you want to sell continuous supplies of boxes or just get rid of a one-time bundle.

U-Haul Box Exchange

Not only can you find boxes to sell using the U-Haul Box Exchange, but if you have a bunch of boxes to get rid of, you may be able to find a buyer for them here, too.

U-Haul put this program in place for people to connect with each other to find boxes easily when they need them for moving or other uses while also helping to keep boxes getting recycled instead of thrown away.

Container Exchanger

Container Exchanger is an online marketplace that allows you to list your cardboard boxes for sale for free.

Your listings will go in front of people who want the boxes, including large companies and manufacturers that may be more willing than the average person to pay for boxes to meet their needs.

When you get an offer for your boxes, the Container Exchanger will contact you and let you know.

Payment from buyers goes to Container Exchanger and then released to you after the final pickup.

Quincy Recycle

Quincy Recycle specifically looks for Gaylord boxes to buy.

The company has a nationwide network in the United States, so it can connect with places near you to take your boxes off your hands.

BoxCycle

This site lets both buyers and sellers of boxes find what they need.

You can plug in your zip code to find people near you looking for boxes, let them know what you have, and offer them a price.

You can also list your boxes on the site and get paid from the payments the site collects.

One of the perks of this site is that you don’t need to go back and forth with boxes to schedule a pickup day and time.

Instead, they’ll choose from a list of scheduling options that works for both of you before they get ready to pay.

UsedCardboardBoxes.com

This site has a bulk seller form that you can fill out to sell a bunch of cardboard at once.

After you fill it out, you’ll wait for a representative to contact you and give you a quote for your inventory.

You can also sell pallet boxes and Gaylord boxes here.

Rebox

If you own a business that goes through lots of boxes, you should try Rebox to get rid of them.

This company pays higher revenues than some other cardboard buyers and works with you to get on a pickup schedule that works for you.

Just fill in the form on the website to learn more about how it all works and the prices you can expect based on your company’s cardboard box usage.

Sadlers

Live in the UK?

Try to sell your boxes with Sadlers.

You can get a free quote by filling out the website form.

Sadlers buys all sorts of cardboard boxes, including used boxes, cardboard sheets, pallet boxes, and packaging materials.

The company will come pick up your boxes and give you your payment at the same time.

Duffy Box

Duffy Box is a recycling company that specializes in cardboard boxes.

Duffy Box can come to your home or business to see what you have and give you a quote for the boxes you’re getting rid of.

If your business has more cardboard than it can handle, the company will also work with you to give you some zero waste solutions that can help you be more environmentally friendly.

Look for Cardboard Recycling Centers That Pay Near Me

Search for recycling centers in the neighborhood or near your town.

Not all recycling centers pay for recyclables, but some do.

How much do recycling centers pay for cardboard?

It depends on the place, but for those that pay, you can expect to get a few dollars out of a stack of cardboard.

The center will usually pay by weight, so the more you have, the better.

Use Earth911 to find recycling centers in your area.

Give them a call to see if they accept cardboard boxes in exchange for payment.

Make Boxes Into Something New

Your best path to earning money with cardboard boxes could be going the route of turning them into something else.

In a way, it would be kind of like your own way of recycling cardboard and still getting money.

What can you turn cardboard boxes into?

Here are some ideas:

• Arts and craft supplies
• Picture frames
• Kids toys
• Gift boxes
• Puzzles
• Storage boxes
• Home decorations

The craftier you are, the more creative you can get, and the sky is the limit with cardboard boxes.

Whatever you choose to create, you can probably find a profitable home for it on Etsy, local yard sales or flea markets, craft fairs, eBay, or even a shop on your website.

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Where to Find Cardboard Boxes to Sell

The cardboard boxes you have in your home will only go so far unless you get more regularly.

But most people will need to search a little to find enough cardboard boxes to sell on a consistent basis.

Here’s where to look for more to keep a fresh stash:

Freecycle.org

Freecycle is a site you can use to look for stuff that people are giving away in or near your area.

The site has different groups that people start based on their location.

Search for yours by entering your city and state, and you’ll find the groups nearest your location to join.

Once you sign up, you can either post a Wanted message looking for free boxes, or you can respond to another ad from someone who’s giving away boxes.

Everyone can message each other through the forums.

Your response to posts will go directly to the poster’s email or to the email address of the person you’re responding to.

You can then continue the conversation via email to set up meeting details.

Freecycle is completely free to use, but be sure to stay smart and safe when communicating with anyone on or off the platform, especially when you set up your meeting.

Facebook, Craigslist, or the Newspaper

The places listed above can all be perfect for finding used boxes that people are giving away.

If someone has a big bundle of boxes, they might list an ad in the newspaper, Craigslist, or Facebook, to let others in the area know.

Check the free sections of Craigslist or your local newspaper to find them.

On Facebook, you can browse local buying and selling groups and the Marketplace, or ask your friends and family if they’re giving away any boxes for you to collect.

Local Businesses

You can probably find a treasure trove of free boxes at local businesses, like restaurants, grocery stores, fast food places, or retail shops.

They all get stuff delivered in boxes at least a couple of times per week, and they usually partner with a recycling or trash pickup service to get them taken away each week.

The thing is, you could collect them for free without the business needing to pay for your service.

They’ll probably be thrilled at the gesture, and it’s helping you both.

If you want, you might even offer to take the boxes from them a couple of times per week for a smaller fee than what they pay for their other service, still allowing them to save money on cardboard recycling or trash pickup.

Just be sure to call to ask first, as you don’t want to be seen as a trespasser or a thief.

Friends and Family

Your friends and family would probably be glad for you to take piles of cardboard boxes off their hands.

You can always call around or text them to see if any have boxes that they want to get rid of instead of bringing them to the recycling center or waiting for them to get picked up with their recycling.

Storage Units

Storage units can be awesome places to find used boxes for free.

See if you can set up a twice-weekly pickup of cardboard boxes that a storage unit accumulates from storage auctions, people throwing away boxes as they go through units, and more.

Get Paid for Cardboard Boxes

A cardboard box is something just about everyone has lying around in their home not getting used, but not everyone knows how to make money with them.

But now you do!

The places above are just a few ideas of where to go to not just recycle old boxes but make some money off them too.

Think outside the box (!) for some more ideas to make this easy money-making opportunity work for you.

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