Original question by: @poppichew@piefed.social
If you buy things to any extent, you’ve probably got some leftover packaging hanging around. What are some cool ways you’ve found to make use of all these materials? Special props to ideas that can be replicated!
Both of these options involve taking the time to remove all tape, stickers, and other add ons.
I run cardboard through the bandsaw and slap the strips together to make new scratchpad inserts. Walmart now wants $10-13 for a small one, up from $3-5. It also breaks down boxes fast. Use a tiny bit of nontoxic school glue, in the middle of the strips. Too much glue and they’ll be too hard and the cat won’t use them. If I had to do the cutting by hand, I wouldn’t do it.
Break boxes down flat to kill swaths of lawn for garden space. Cover with garden dirt & compost. Alternatively, cover with wood chips, gravel, or rocks for borders or pathing.
I tried the cardboard trick in the garden one time, but it just rotted after a good rain, and the grass/weeds came through pretty quickly.
We had similar results. Some spots held up better than others, so overall it’s not a terrible idea, but it’s not 100% effective either.