As most of us have experienced, especially around holidays and gift-giving, the number of recyclables often goes up exponentially. We sit there with bags and bags of scrap plastic, paper, and cardboard wondering how we became such a decadent species producing so much waste.
Fortunately, we do recycle and for many of us budding entrepreneurs we are looking into our garbage bags and are not seeing a pain in the butt to be removed, but rather a great source of free materials we can profit from.
The rise of online shipping has led to a rise in cardboard production to safely ship our purchases but this should not be seen as anything other than a gift horse.
Many boxes from large online retailers like Amazon are high quality and can be upcycled into crafts worth many times their price. Thinking a cardboard box is just a box is short-sighted when you can think of it as a storage unit, a wall sign, a key holder, a vintage house, or many more things.
How much can you make recycling cardboard boxes? Sturdy clean cardboard can be used for crafting so a small to medium box can be used to make crafts that can sell for up to $50 or more depending on their complexity and appeal.
Crafted items such as houses, ships, and wargaming terrain are lucrative as most people don’t have the time to make such things. Focusing on a craft type and churning out multiple items can easily make you $500 – $1,000 a week if done well.
Is recycling cardboard profitable?
Yes, you can make money just by storing cardboard flat, tying it into bails, and taking it to your local recycling center. This will be less time-consuming than making things from the cardboard you collect but will net you less cash as a direct result.
You will need to use the time you save on crafting, however, to roam the streets looking for places where you may be able to find waste cardboard. Places such as shops and malls are the best as retail outlets will often have a lot of cardboard. You may need to have a large vehicle or trailer as a means of transporting it as it will be quite bulky.
How much is scrap cardboard worth?
For flat general cardboard, you could get around 0.5 cents to 3 cents a pound depending on area and demand. Cardboard boxes in pristine condition can net you 50 cents to $2 for each box with the highest quality ‘Gaylord’ boxes netting a cool $4. Finding boxes in perfect condition may prove difficult so be prepared to accept less for lower quality/damage.
Can I sell my waste cardboard?
Yes, there can be many opportunities in your area to sell your waste cardboard. You cannot sell, however, dirty cardboard, cardboard that has gotten wet, food containers such as pizza boxes, or items with film inside such as potato chip cans. These will need to be either composted for soiled and wet cardboard or sent to a landfill for cardboard with film.
What can I do with a lot of cardboard?
Flatten your cardboard as best you can and tie it into bundles or bales to make for easy transportation. Next, call ahead to your recycling centers to see if they will accept your cardboard and advise them of how much, if you can weigh it. If they are not able to help you, calling local schools or craft centers may help although they may not be willing to pay you anything for your ‘donation’.
How do you craft with cardboard?
Fortunately, we have the internet and over 1 billion websites to help us, granted not every website is about crafting but you can find many, like the one you are on now for instance. Some great projects you could make will vary depending on the type of cardboard you have, the size, and how much. Here is a list to help give you a few ideas to get you started.
- A cubby house – You may need a larger box for this, say from a washing machine or several taped/glued together
- A doll’s house – A potato chip box or wine box can easily be turned into a cool penthouse apartment for dolls to enjoy.
- A 3D picture – A cereal box can instantly be turned into a funky 3D picture by removing one side and filling it with some great art.
- Shoebox storage – A great sized sturdy box for nicknacks, jewelry, or art supplies. Decorate and show it off to your friends.
A more lucrative way to make money from old cardboard is to take your crafting to the next level. By making Gaming terrain and dioramas which would be aimed at an older market demographic then you would make a lot more money with a lot less cardboard. This would be more time-consuming and would require you to make crafts you have never seen before. Not to worry though as there are many websites and channels on YouTube that provide free help to get you started. Take a look at some of the below examples.
These are from a talented mom and they can be seen on her youtube channel named Creative Mom – click here
She works will all types of materials for crafting but she turns out some pretty amazing work.
Wyloch is another talented creator and you can find his work at Wylochs Armory channel – click here
He specializes in gaming terrain for geeks like myself so I have a real soft spot for his channel. He does focus on using cardboard and thinner cardstock for a lot of his work so if that’s in plentiful supply you may find him a useful mentor.
Conclusion
Crafting is by far the best way to make money with recycled cardboard, for a start you do not have to have hundreds of kilos of it clogging up your house until you have enough to sell. Also, you can sell your work for a much higher price than you could otherwise get for just bulk cardboard.
The downside of crafting can be that you will need to buy additional supplies such as glue and paint but you can pick them up as you go and churn your profits without needing large sums of cash.
The upside is that many people are interested in buying crafts, especially gamers who are always looking to show off their collections while playing and may ask you for custom work too, allowing you to use up your spare plastic and aluminum cans.
Looking at the work shown above I would easily pay $25-$30 for the house or ship and up to $50 for a painted set of dungeon tiles, doors, traps, and accessories.
Looking to make money from crafts?
Click here to learn how with our step-by-step guide showing you everything you need to know.