I was left with a mountain of cardboard boxes after moving into a new flat and had no idea how to dispose of them.
Recently, I tackled one of life’s most stressful undertakings. No, it wasn’t a divorce — but I did move house.
Relocating is consistently ranked among the top three most stressful life events, yet having moved four times in two years, I felt reasonably well prepared.
What I hadn’t anticipated, however, was that moving into a completely unfurnished flat would be an entirely different experience from my previous moves. One thing I simply hadn’t considered was the sheer volume of cardboard that accumulates — not only from transporting my own modest belongings, but from ordering an entirely new set of furniture.
Before long, it had consumed the bedroom, the lounge and the office.
Wherever I turned, there was cardboard, and it rapidly became apparent that I hadn’t the faintest idea what to do with it.
The council refused to collect it because it wouldn’t fit in a bin with a closed lid. Without a car to transport it to a recycling centre, and with an expired licence ruling out hiring one, I was well and truly stuck.
According to waste management specialists at Wheeldon Brothers, my predicament is far from unusual.
A spokesperson said: “After moving house, it’s completely normal to be left with dozens of cardboard boxes. The problem is that many people assume bin crews will take everything in one go, but that’s often not how collections work.
“Most councils have limits on how much recycling they’ll collect, and large amounts of cardboard can quickly exceed those limits.”
Having well and truly exceeded the limit, I did the only thing I could think of without access to a car — I threw money at the problem.
I ended up forking out £105 for a private contractor to collect my surplus cardboard, and that was the most competitive quote I could find.
Other firms were looking to charge as much as £150 for the removal, which was a touch beyond the pale even for someone in my predicament.
I did have to haul my boxes down four flights of stairs and leave them outside for collection — but by the afternoon, every last one had gone, and I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
For those who haven’t quite accumulated the sheer mountain of cardboard I had, a spokesperson for Wheeldon Brothers told me there are several ways to increase the likelihood that the council will collect your recycling.
They advised that people should flatten all their cardboard boxes and ensure any polystyrene or soft plastics are removed beforehand.
They explained: “Flattening boxes isn’t just about saving space in your wheelie bin. It helps maximise space in the collection vehicle too.
“If cardboard is left in large, bulky pieces, crews may have to leave it behind because there simply isn’t enough room.”
Planning ahead as much as possible is also strongly recommended. They added: “Moving house inevitably creates more waste than normal, but planning ahead makes a big difference.
“Flatten boxes, remove packaging materials and check your council’s recycling guidance. If you’ve got far more cardboard than your bin can accommodate, a trip to the local recycling centre is often the quickest and easiest solution.”
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