Products
Serving Portland, Oregon and the metro area
Referral service. Quotes come from partner suppliers.
A practical guide for Portland businesses and households, plus how to ask for pickup through partner suppliers.
When a box is past reuse, recycling is usually the next step. Portland Boxes does not collect or process cardboard. We take your request and pass it to partner suppliers, and a supplier follows up about pickup.
Your existing garbage and recycling service may already handle small amounts. A request here makes more sense when you have more cardboard than your bin can take, for example at a warehouse in Swan Island, a shop on the Central Eastside, or an office clearing out after a move.
However you recycle, the same preparation applies: clean, dry, empty cardboard is what recyclers want.
Sort out any boxes that are clean and sound enough to use again or sell.
Flatten, empty and keep the remaining cardboard dry.
Tell us your rough volume, location and access. We pass it to partner suppliers.
A partner supplier follows up about pickup, timing and any cost.
Corrugated cardboard is accepted by many recycling programs
Recycled fiber can be used to make new paper products
Reusing a box avoids making a new one
Dry, uncontaminated cardboard is easier to recycle
A little preparation makes a pickup simpler and helps keep cardboard recyclable.
Before recycling anything, pull out boxes that are clean, dry and structurally sound. They may suit your own use, or a partner supplier may be interested in them.
Take out foam, plastic bags, bubble wrap, air pillows and leftover packing materials. These do not belong with cardboard, and they make loads harder to handle.
Cut or fold boxes flat and stack them the same way. Flat cardboard takes up far less room, and bundles tied with paper twine or a similar material are simple to carry.
Rain is the usual problem in Portland. Store cardboard indoors or under cover, up off the floor on a pallet if you can, and do not leave it out overnight before a pickup.
Set aside anything with food, grease, oil or chemicals on it. Standard packing tape and shipping labels are usually fine, but check with the supplier if you have a lot of them.
You do not need an exact weight. A count of bundles, pallets or bins, or a photo of the pile, gives a supplier enough to start with.
Choose a staging spot that is easy to reach. Note how a vehicle gets to it, and whether you have a dock, forklift or pallet jack on site.
This is a general guide. Each recycler sets its own list, so confirm with the partner supplier before you prepare a load.
Not sure about a material? Describe it in your request and ask the partner supplier.
Which route makes sense depends on the condition of the box. Here is how the three compare in general terms.
| Question | Reuse | Recycling | Landfill |
|---|---|---|---|
| What happens | The box is used again as a box | Fiber is made into new paper products | The material is thrown away |
| New box needed? | No, reuse avoids making one | Yes, but it can use recycled fiber | Yes |
| Box condition | Must be clean, dry and sound | Can be worn or damaged, but clean | Any |
| Preparation | Sort, keep dry, group by size | Empty, flatten, keep dry | None |
| Good for | Boxes with useful life left | Boxes past reuse | A last resort for unrecyclable items |
A simple rule: if a box is still clean, dry and sound, see whether it can be used again. If you have a quantity of those boxes, read about selling your boxes. If not, prepare it for recycling.
Pickup is available through partner suppliers, depending on your location and volume. Tell us which of these sounds like your situation.
Useful for a clear-out, a move or a seasonal rush. Describe the volume and when you need it gone, and a partner supplier can say whether it can help.
If cardboard builds up steadily at your shop, office or warehouse, say how often. Ask a partner supplier whether a repeat pickup is an option for your volume.
If you need a bin or already bale cardboard, mention it. Equipment and how baled material is handled vary, so ask what a supplier can offer.
When a partner supplier follows up, these questions will help you compare your options.
Ask which materials are fine, and whether tape, labels or printed boxes cause any problem.
Check whether cardboard should be flattened, bundled, palletized or baled before pickup.
Any minimum is set by the supplier. Share your rough volume and ask what makes a pickup practical.
Pricing is by quote from partner suppliers. Ask whether any charge applies and how it is worked out.
If this matters to you, ask where the material is taken and whether any records are available.
Business recycling rules vary by city. Check current regulations with your city or your garbage and recycling hauler.
How recycling works when pickup comes through a partner supplier.
Clean, dry corrugated boxes are widely recycled. Acceptance of other materials varies, so ask the partner supplier before you plan a pickup.
Pickup is available through partner suppliers, depending on your location and volume. Any cost is set by the supplier.
We do not issue any paperwork ourselves. If you need records, ask the partner supplier what it can provide before you agree to a pickup.
Keep them separate from clean cardboard. Food-soiled, oily or chemically contaminated boxes are often refused, so ask your hauler how to handle them.
Mention both in your request. Whether one supplier can do both on the same trip depends on the supplier.
Send a free, no-obligation request, or read more about reuse and recycling.