Some people may have never even known that shoe boxes can be recycled, but you can make some big differences by recycling your old shoes. These are often tough to find materials, so be sure to recycle all of them together.
Take the lids off of the boxes, and check for holes or rips in them. Sometimes, just by looking at them, you can see that they are unusable for this project. Another way to be sure is to fill them with water, and if it leaks through in any places, then do not use that box.
You may think that you don’t have enough shoes to make a difference when you are disposing of your shoe boxes, but the truth is that every shoe box makes a difference in saving trees from being cut down.
What Are Shoe Boxes Made of?
Shoe boxes are usually made out of cardboard. They are made of recyclable material, but they are not always recyclable. Generally, only the boxes that you receive from new shoes are recyclable. There are many types of cardboard, and not all that the same.
The kinds that are generally considered to be safe for recycling include cardboard that has a thickness of twenty-seven point seven five millimeters, or 0.0149 inches. This is called “corrugated” cardboard because it uses corrugations to achieve this strength level.
While it is true that you can recycle many shoe boxes, there are a couple of materials that cannot be recycled. The glue used on shoeboxes has a large amount of petroleum in it, so it cannot be recycled.
Cardboard types other than the one described above are usually not recyclable through your city or town’s system. However, if you have your own recycling system at home, then you may be able to recycle them. The bottom line is that it is worth checking to see what you can recycle before just tossing everything into the trash.
12 Good Ways To Recycle Old Shoe Boxes
If you have a lot of old shoe boxes lying around, don’t throw them away! Instead, use these boxes for something productive. This easy tutorial will help you to find 10 Good Ways To Recycle Old Shoe Boxes and utilize what your kids may have outgrown into a new project. These ideas are good for the environment, making a clean mess out of the cardboard boxes that would otherwise end up in landfills.
Dental Flossing/Shooing Boxes
Dental flossing is a tedious procedure, but the box itself is very handy for this purpose. You can shave or brush your teeth with these boxes. You can also use them to remove some of the residuals from your teeth, although it is more effective to do this yourself using a manual toothbrush.
Crayon Holder
You can easily use unused crayons as holders for loose crayons in your middle school or high school days. This way you won’t have to continue searching for them in various places of your home. You can also use these boxes to store small objects like dolls, small toys or even letters that you received earlier in the day.
Mailbox Organizer
If you don’t have enough mailboxes in your home, you can use old shoe boxes to organize your incoming/outgoing mail. You can arrange it like a tower, pile several shoe boxes on top of each other or organize it by color (for example, red for household bills). This will also help track the different piles of mail and make sure that all the bills are paid on time.
Chalkboard Painted Shoe Box
This is a really simple idea for reusing an old shoebox. All you need to do is paint the inside of the box with chalkboard paint and your kids can use it as a fun little chalkboard. You can even cut off the top of the box and turn it into a little playhouse or reading nook where they can draw or read in private.
Ribbon Organizer
Similarly, this is a great idea for reusing an old shoebox. You can use the shoebox as storage for your favorite ribbon and organize it in a simple and effective way. Plus, you can cut the top off and turn it into a nice display.
Storage Boxes
Create many shelves for your collectibles like old baseball cards. Stack the shoe boxes on top of each other to fit as many as possible. Decorate your shelves with baseball, poker or similar themed pictures.
If you are good at arts and crafts, then you can use old shoe boxes to store craft supplies like paint tubes, glue bottles or fabric rolls. This way, they won’t be left scattered across your work space and you can find what you need more easily.
File Storage
Use the shoe box to store your important documents like tax returns or medical bills. You can actually store many papers in one box so that you have a simple overview of all paperwork you have received throughout the year. Fold them accordion style and stick them to the inside walls of an old shoe box using glue or tape for example. This will save you a lot of time because you won’t have to sort through papers looking for one specific form anymore since everything is neatly filed away in one place.
Home Storage Boxes
You can use old shoe boxes to store small home improvement items like screws or nails, or even spare light bulbs for extra storage in your garage or elsewhere in the house.
Gift Packaging
Instead of wrapping individual objects in paper or plastic, you can use old shoe boxes to wrap several gifts. This will save you a lot of time and headache and sure is an environmentally friendly way to package gifts instead of using many different wrapping papers. Try to decorate the shoe box itself with colorful, festive stickers. If you choose to wrap individual gifts instead of one big package, then you can give it a more personal touch by decorating the outside of each box with various colors and patterns.
Jewelry Boxes
Utilize old shoe boxes to store your fancy pieces of jewelry like bracelets or necklaces by folding them accordion style and sticking them together inside the box. You can always wrap the box in decorative paper or leftover wrapping paper to make sure you have a better protection for your jewelry.
Small Space Storage
You can use old shoe boxes to store smaller items you may want to place on the floor of your room or small closet space, like Christmas decorations or new books that you are thinking of purchasing. This way, they are placed on the floor instead of being stored on top of shelves which makes them easier to find. If you do this, you can decorate the box with various patterns and colors so that it will look even more appealing. Use picture hangers to hang clothes on these boxes so that they can be easily found when needed.
Flower Boxes
Use left over shoe boxes to decorate your flower pots. You can cut a small hole at the top of the box and stick a flower pot with stems into this hole. This way, the only thing you need to do is keep watering your flowers and watch how they bloom! This is a great idea for those who have a balcony or a window that gets lots of direct sunlight throughout the day.
Dispose Shoe Boxes
Most people can agree that putting your shoes at the back of a wardrobe, inside a closet, or in the attic just isn’t enough. The best solution is to simply put them away by themselves and they won’t take up precious space and for this reason we’ve put together some tips on how to discard and dispose of shoe boxes.
Closets should have adequate shoe storage, but if you have a shoe box that’s taking up a lot of space in your wardrobe or a room then it might be time to get rid of it. Make sure to keep your shoes safe and organised in a shoe box.
Here are our steps to dispose of Shoe boxes:
- Get a plastic bag and wrap it around the box.
- Put the shoe box in a larger bag and seal the larger bag with a bit of tape.
- Make sure you know what’s inside the shoe box so you don’t accidently throw it away.
- When taking your large plastic bag to the charity shop, there is no need to ring them ahead as long as it’s clean, dry and empty before they take it.
With Shoe boxes, you might think you’re recycling but if you don’t take care of them before disposing of them, they won’t make it to the charity shop.
How To Recycle Old Shoe Boxes?
There are many things that people can do with the help of old shoe boxes. Many people use these to ship their shoes. This is a good way to make sure that they make it there without being damaged by the shipping process.
Another great idea for your old shoe boxes is to use them as flower pots. If you have things growing in your garden, you can even put them inside of these boxes. There are many different styles of shoe box that are manufactured, so some are better than others for this purpose.
If you have never tried this before, then the first time will likely be difficult for you. However, if you just keep some things in mind, it should be easy enough for you to do the second time around.
So many people use these boxes to store items like documents, paper clips, and old buttons when they clean off their desks. When you finally get around to cleaning your desk, don’t just leave the shoe box out in the open for everyone else to find! Wrapping it in some plastic or better yet wrapping it in paper will keep it looking nice and tidy when you’re done with your mess.
You will find a variety of other things in the shoe box. It might contain a stack of worthless papers, a set of broken electrical cords, broken scraps of wood, and even an uncooked shell from a shellfish dinner. When you clean out your shoe box later on, you will have to sort through all this stuff to find that old button that you no longer need.
There are many ways that you can get rid of the old shoe boxes in your household. Some people will flatten them and place them in their recycle bin where they belong. This is not nearly as efficient as the other methods listed below because recycling centers do not take these types of boxes. Recycling bins are for things like cups, cans, plastic bottles, old magazines, and even your old shoes.
If you’re not interested in recycling the shoe boxes, then there are several options for getting rid of them. You can put them in the trash because the box is made out of paper. It’s not like you can recycle a shoe box anyway! Some people will take their boxes to the recycling center to get rid of them; however, this isn’t always easy unless you live close to one. Many people have found that they have to drive a long way just to get their items from their car into a recycling bin.
FAQs
How do you recycle shoe boxes?
Shoe boxes can be recycled in a few ways. You can throw them away or throw them in your garbage or scrap metal. Recycling shoe boxes is a good way to reduce the amount of paper that ends up in landfills. Another way to recycle shoe boxes is by saving them from the trash and turning it into something useful.
Can I put cardboard boxes in the recycle bin?
Yes. Cardboard boxes can be recycled in a few ways. You can throw them away, or put them in your garbage or scrap metal. Recycling cardboard boxes is a good way to reduce the amount of paper that ends up in landfills, and you can also use it to make small projects like wreaths, weaving projects, etc.
Where do I find old shoe boxes?
Most shoe stores keep their old shoes boxes for resale. These boxes are usually sold in a 1/2 dollar shop or dollar store. You can also find them at various consignment shops and second hand stores, etc.
How do I repurpose shoe boxes for my compost pile?
You can make a compost pile from your old shoe boxes. All you have to do is take the box apart and carefully separate the cardboard from the plastic.
Are shoe boxes paper or cardboard?
Shoe boxes are made of cardboard, the same material as your cereal box, paper towel rolls, etc.
How do I recycle shoe boxes for school projects?
When you buy any kind of shoes or clothing items, don’t throw away the boxes that come with them. These can be used for various projects at home or in school.
Is tissue paper from shoe box recyclable?
Yes. Tissue paper is a type of paper and can be recycled with other forms of paper.
How do I recycle shoe boxes?
You can throw them away or throw them in your trash or scrap metal. Recycling shoe boxes is a good way to reduce the amount of paper that ends up in landfills, and you can also use it to make small projects like wreaths, weaving projects, etc.