Getting rid of extra cardboard can be a real hassle (Image: Tatjana Aleksejeva via Getty Images)
Recently, I completed one of life’s most nerve-wracking tasks. No, I didn’t go through a divorce, but I did relocate to a new home. House moves are routinely listed amongst the top three life stressors, yet having relocated four times within two years, I believed I was thoroughly prepared.
Nevertheless, I had overlooked the fact that settling into a completely unfurnished flat differs substantially from my previous moves. Something I hadn’t anticipated was the enormous amount of cardboard remaining, not just from transporting my own modest possessions but from needing to purchase entirely new furniture.
It rapidly consumed the bedroom, the living room and the study. Wherever I turned, there was cardboard, and I swiftly discovered I had absolutely no clue what to do with it.
The council refused to collect it as it wouldn’t fit inside a bin with the lid shut. I don’t own a vehicle to transport it to a recycling facility, and my licence had lapsed so I couldn’t rent one either.
In essence, I was stranded without a solution. According to waste specialists at Wheeldon Brothers, my predicament is relatively widespread.
A spokesperson said: “After moving 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.”
What do you do when the bin men won’t take your recycling? (Image: Getty)
I had clearly gone over the limit, so I did the only thing I could manage without a vehicle available — I threw money at the situation.
I ended up needing to spend £105 for a private contractor to collect my surplus cardboard, the most affordable quote I could secure.
Other firms wanted to charge as much as £150 for removal, which was slightly too expensive even for me in my desperate state.
I did need to carry my boxes down four flights of stairs and place them outside for collection, but by the afternoon, they had all disappeared and I felt like I could finally breathe once more.
If you don’t have the sheer quantity of cardboard I accumulated, the spokesperson for the Wheeldon Brothers told me there are some measures to improve the likelihood the council will collect your recycling.
Getting rid of oversize boxes can get expensive (Image: Getty)
They said people should flatten all their cardboard boxes down, and make sure to remove any polystyrene or soft plastics from the cardboard.
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.”
It’s also wise to plan ahead as much as possible. They added: “Moving 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.”