PSA: Solving the Too Many Amazon Boxes problem ...

[kenny]

In the 1970s, one of my first jobs as a teenager was ripper.
What pray-tell is a ripper, you ask.
Well, it's not a serial killer and my name wasn't Jack.

I ripped up cardboard boxes at a supermarket (large foodstore).
The rippers and stocking clerks arrived at closing time.
The clerks (who made triple our pay ) filled the shelves with new food and faced the shelves.
They just left all the boxes piled high in the aisles for the rippers.
After ripping we put all the flat cardboard in a huge machine that looked like it could crush an old junked car.
We finished just before opening time.

Needless to say that was before I was buying Fancy Colored Diamonds.

Anyway, after a week or two I got really good at ripping boxes into small flat sheets.
I also got faster, yet stopped getting paper cuts from the cardboard.
Actually it's surprising how complex the not-so-mundane task can be; I'll just leave it at that.
Instinctively I still use those techniques today to reduce the volume of the box mess in our house and make more space in our recycling bin.

Instead of writing a novel on the many "professional" techniques of box ripping, here's a link with a simple 4-step process that has earned KSA, the Kenny Seal of Approval.
... though my techniques do not require a utility knife/razor/box cutter - just two bare hands.

Why It's Important To Break Down Cardboard Waste

Breaking down your cardboard is more important than you think! We’ve assembled a helpful resource that details why ‘breaking it down’ is important and the best practices for doing so.

www.roadrunnerwm.com

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

In the 1970s, one of my first jobs as a teenager was ripper.
What pray-tell is a ripper, you ask.
It's not a serial killer, and my name wasn't Jack.

I ripped up cardboard boxes at a supermarket.
The rippers and clerks arrived at closing time.
The clerks (who made triple our pay ) filled the shelves with new food and faced the shelves.
They just left all the boxes piled high in the aisles for the rippers.
After ripping we put all the flat cardboard in a huge machine that looked like it could crush a junked old car.
We finished just before opening time.

Needless to say that was before I was buying Fancy Colored Diamonds.

Anyway, after a week or two I got really good at ripping boxes into small flat sheets.
I also got faster, yet stopped getting paper cuts from the cardboard.
Actually it's surprising how complex the not-so-mundane task can be; I'll just leave it at that.
I still instinctively use those techniques today to reduce the volume of the box mess in our house and in our recycling bin.

Instead of writing a novel on the many techniques of box ripping ...

Why It's Important To Break Down Cardboard Waste

Breaking down your cardboard is more important than you think! We’ve assembled a helpful resource that details why ‘breaking it down’ is important and the best practices for doing so.

www.roadrunnerwm.com

When i first worked in the big box hardware store i had the irritation isles ..that also included letterboxes
Oh my goodness we sold sooooo many letterboxes
each one came in their own cardboard box
this is before they introduced night fill to put the stock away

i actually loved busting the boxes
I felt very disgruntled in how my career had stalled and how repetitive the work was so i got rid of a lot of aggression busting those boxes, but even that was so repetitive


ended up with a killer tennis elbow
took years to get better

Ive never heard of a ripper
But sounds good fun for a young wiper snapper Kenny
But im glad you didn't make a career out of it

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

We always fully break down the boxes, food boxes too. We keep one big box to put all of the smaller ones into! If you don't do this our recycling truck won't take them.

 

[chrono]

We always break down boxes since flat cardboard takes up less room to haul away.

 

[ForteKitty]

We always fully break down the boxes, food boxes too. We keep one big box to put all of the smaller ones into! If you don't do this our recycling truck won't take them.

We always break down boxes since flat cardboard takes up less room to haul away.

Wait... are there people who don't break down boxes? They just leave the boxes popped up on the curb?!?

 

[chrono]

Yup, I've seen boxes set outside as is.

 

[whitewave]

I live in the woods and have a low lying seasonal flood plain behind me. I sometimes rip the boxes up but mostly I just go out there and throw out the boxes.

it takes about 2-3 years for nature to break them down, and in the meantime traps mosquitoes for critters to eat, provides shelter for lizards, skinks and toads, etc.

it works for us, but it drives my husband crazy even though no one but us knows they are back there lol.

 

[yssie]

I live in the woods and have a low lying seasonal flood plain behind me. I sometimes rip the boxes up but mostly I just go out there and throw out the boxes.

it takes about 2-3 years for nature to break them down, and in the meantime traps mosquitoes for critters to eat, provides shelter for lizards, skinks and toads, etc.

it works for us, but it drives my husband crazy even though no one but us knows they are back there lol.

I save the best boxes for our groundhogs. I put them behind the shed... And I've seen them use them to escape the hawks!!

 

[Slickk]

I reuse most of my boxes between selling/shipping and dd moving so often around NYC! We also do most of our shopping locally.