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One of the drawbacks of online shopping

Mixolydian

Lifer
Nov 7, 2011
14,566
91
91
gilramirez.net
is that you quickly become overwhelmed with boxes. It's amazing how quickly they add up. Not a big deal, I know, but much more cumbersome than dealing with shopping bags for example.

My place is filled with boxes just from the stuff I ordered this week. :\
 

Rakehellion

Lifer
Jan 15, 2013
12,181
35
91
I break them down and recycle them or use them for shipping. A big box costs $4 from a shipping company.
 

MrPickins

Diamond Member
May 24, 2003
9,125
792
126
Amen to that...

Luckily, we have a recycle bin like this that they pick up every other week:

41a4EEevVHL._SL500_AA300_.jpg


Before they started that, I'd wait until I had almost full truck load and take them to the recyclers. Was such a pain...
 

MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
26,067
24,397
136
online shopping definitely has it's environmental effects. not just the extra box that is required, which can be recycled but that takes energy, both to recycle it and both to gather the boxes to take to recycling - but also the bubble wrap or plastic air bags they use to protect the items.

as far as delivery, that is more complicated. either way the product has to be delivered to its final destination whether it is at a local B&M or to a warehouse and then brought locally. if it goes to a warehouse in one part of the country then travels back to another part of the country to get to you that is extra energy consumed to travel for delivery rather than having come right to a local B&M distributor.
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
66,292
14,712
146
is that you quickly become overwhelmed with boxes. It's amazing how quickly they add up. Not a big deal, I know, but much more cumbersome than dealing with shopping bags for example.

My place is filled with boxes just from the stuff I ordered this week. :\

I know, right? And those fucking assholes from UPS and Fed-Ex just keep coming! If only there was a way to make them stop! :rolleyes:
 

Jimzz

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2012
4,399
190
106
If you get a lot post on craigslist free section, people can reuse. Best way to recycle.
 

Strk

Lifer
Nov 23, 2003
10,197
4
76
Heh, I have a recycling bin included with my regular garbage pickup, but I have a terrible propensity for accumulating boxes.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
60,100
10,567
126
I love boxes. My recyclables go in the boxes, someone takes them from me every week or two.
 

manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
13,292
4,064
136
boxes are conveniently recycled, no hassle there. OTOH Newegg still uses foam peanuts...

online shopping definitely has it's environmental effects. not just the extra box that is required, which can be recycled but that takes energy, both to recycle it and both to gather the boxes to take to recycling - but also the bubble wrap or plastic air bags they use to protect the items.

as far as delivery, that is more complicated. either way the product has to be delivered to its final destination whether it is at a local B&M or to a warehouse and then brought locally. if it goes to a warehouse in one part of the country then travels back to another part of the country to get to you that is extra energy consumed to travel for delivery rather than having come right to a local B&M distributor.
I've always wondered about the relative "efficiency" since for example, Amazon S&S orders used to be individual item fulfillment. Now they're wiser and do a monthly fulfillment with all the scheduled items in one drop.
 

BarkingGhostar

Diamond Member
Nov 20, 2009
8,410
1,617
136
I break them down and recycle them or use them for shipping. A big box costs $4 from a shipping company.
Same here. Ever since the wife and I started recycling with our sanitation company we've only had one instance of filling up the regular container.

You really never acknowledge this until you do it. And we are only doing it haphazardly. I cannot imagine what it would be like if we went all nutso doing it.
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
72,899
34,003
136
Flatten the boxes, stack them up, tape them togehter, drill random holes in the layers. Roach hotels!
 

Newbian

Lifer
Aug 24, 2008
24,779
882
126
Donate to your local cat shelter and they may let you live to be a slave when they take over the world.
 

trmiv

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
14,670
18
81
Yea we order a lot from amazon and accumulate boxes. The worst is amazon subscribe and save. They pack the order in one huge box. I swear I could live in two of them if shit ever got bad. Our recycling bin isn't big enough to handle the boxes so they accumulate in the garage. I try to take them to the recycling center every few months.
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
70,607
13,813
126
www.anyf.ca
I did a box cleanup a few months ago and yeah, it's pretty crazy how it can accumulate.

Thing is you typically have to keep boxes for stuff in case you have to return it, so I usually keep them for at least a few months, but forget, and it turns into years.
 

MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
26,067
24,397
136
boxes are conveniently recycled, no hassle there. OTOH Newegg still uses foam peanuts...


I've always wondered about the relative "efficiency" since for example, Amazon S&S orders used to be individual item fulfillment. Now they're wiser and do a monthly fulfillment with all the scheduled items in one drop.

S&S orders?

i forgot to mention about environmental effects, B&M stores also have environmental impact such as by the energy they produce. the plastic bags they give you your items in as well.
 

John Connor

Lifer
Nov 30, 2012
22,757
619
121
I buy a lot of shit on eBay and have more damn boxes. I only keep them just in case I want to sell something.
 

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,808
83
91
how much room are they taking up? :confused:

with 99% of boxes, I just break them down flat and put them out with the recycling. no real need to save them.

the one exception is Christmas season... I usually save all my boxes/packing materials from incoming shipments to reuse with gifts I'm mailing out.
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
10
81
I just break them down and store them. I always find a use for them like the kids useing them in "art" projects or forts.
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
I toss them in a pile in the sunroom on the back of the house. Every couple of weeks, they make good kindling to ensure that all the documents I want destroyed by fire are thoroughly destroyed. In other words, I just burn the boxes in a bonfire. I big enough pile of boxes & I can get firewood started without other kindling. And, bills, etc., - those things that some people would shred - burned in the fire as well.