Recycle Cardboard – Become Green!

Cardboard Box Side by Jason Cartwright (CC BY 2.0)

We at NorthStar Moving® love a lot of things, but there are two things that always make us smile: cardboard and recycling. What happens when you put those two things together? Magic, of course! Art, furniture, vehicles, computers, you name it! Check out how some people recycle cardboard. Do you know a way to make old cardboard green on the inside?

Cardboard Art

Artists recycle cardboard by putting it in the limelight! There is even a whole blog dedicated to cardboard art. The Art of Cardboard

photo by SOCIALisBETTER

features the work of many different cardboard artists. Here are a few of my favorites:

Los Angeles-based artist Ana Serrano’s Cartonlandia is amazing! You have to check out this super colorful, 5-foot-tall cardboard city!

British artist Chris Gilmour recycle cardboard by creating extremely intricate and realistic cardboard versions of everyday items like bicycles, pianos, microscopes, and guitars.

Ohio-based artist Mark Langan likes to recycle cardboard by highlighting the corrugated textures of cardboard. Aside from making corporate logos, he has some stellar cardboard versions of Edvard Munch’s The Scream and the iconic Uncle Sam poster.

Cardboard Furniture

Creative people have also decided to recycle cardboard by making new versions of furniture and architecture. The European

photo by warrenski

company Karton Art Design uses only recycled cardboard and paper clips to create furniture that is still as strong as wood! The furniture, which ranges from bookshelves to beds, not only keeps your carbon footprint low, but looks beautiful as well. When you think of the most complex architecture in the world, what material comes to mind? Well, you should be thinking about cardboard! Michael Hansmeyer likes to recycle cardboard by making it into extremely intricate, architecturally stunning cardboard columns.

Cardboard Vehicles

Besides the amazing vehicles that Chris Gilmour makes when he decides to recycle cardboard, some people recycle cardboard by making it into a vehicle! These vehicles aren’t always the most reliable, but they sure do look fun! Sled races are more of an East Coast tradition, but that doesn’t mean people in sunny LA can’t appreciate them! Check out these cardboard sleds that participants made in the Cedar Ridge Wild and Wacky Cardboard Sled Derby in Whitetail, PA. (My favorite is the Yellow Submarine one!) And if you ever find yourself in São Paulo, Brazil, look for this cardboard, people-powered van that is being paraded around as a social commentary on eco-reliance. Cardboard vehicles might break down on you, but they are worth the laughs!

Cardboard Computers

Usually we have to recycle cardboard because it comes as packaging for our favorite electronics. These computer companies see that and have taken a different approach towards a consumer’s need to recycle cardboard. Recompute is a sustainable cardboard version of a computer.

photo by sirtrentalot

Not only is the computer’s case made of cardboard but the whole manufacturing process of making a Recompute computer keeps sustainability in mind. The computer will even have a green end; when you are ready to get rid of it, the computer is easy to dismantle, and therefore it’s easier to recycle the parts. The mainstream computer company Asus is also following suit by now building their Mini-ITX motherboards directly into shipping boxes. Instead of having to recycle cardboard, the cardboard box will serve as a computer case!

Now that you’ve seen how people think “outside-the-box” in order to recycle cardboard, do you have any great ideas? We’d love to hear how you re-purpose and recycle cardboard! You can always recycle your cardboard with NorthStar Moving®!