Good stuff, David.

A local liquor store here puts its empty boxes right outside the front of the store. Anyone driving by can see them and stop and pick them up. It broadens their "market" to much more than just liquor-store customers -- though I will admit that their willingness to do that has encouraged me to stop in a few times when I wanted to buy "adult beverages". :-)

That is a great idea. I've used carboard boxes several times on areas of my yard that are supposed to be natural, but get weedy. Works like a charm, and no noxious spraying, which I object to. They have to be replaced about every other year, but they just turn into mulch.

I got a bunch at Lowes, the guy showed me where the cardboard compactor was and I helped myself.

So what do you do with the cardboard boxes? Bury them? Just put soil on top of them?

Generally you lay them down and water them some to hold in place and use any cover of choice you have. Here the county offers free wood mulch by the truck load to residents. Stone from planting areas can be used. Again here in the Hill Country we are blessed with ample rock with very thin soils. Some areas may be able to get straw or hay. Others use to layer compost as part of the carbon needed to build an active compost pile layered over with greens grass, weeds, leaves, whatever green you have extra of don't throw away compost it. Another way to use it is lay it down as your pumpkins or squash grow to keep them of the bare ground to slow or eliminate rot. It makes great food as part of a diet for worm growing (vermiculture). These are just a few of the ways I have seen it used over the years. Let your imagination give you ideas of how you can put it to work for you.
Thanks and Happy Growing David

David, if you haven't done so put this on the Texas Gardening and the Soil, Compost Mulch Forums and let at least the local people know where you are.
You try to collect cardboard boxes in some areas of south Texas and you would have to get up early in the morning. You see guys driving all over with their trucks stacked high collecting from dumpsters and recycling.
Mike

I have posted this on the Texas forum and had several responses and comments. As far as where I am is Canyon Lake. I have to be careful and not breech TOS for a business so I am being careful but will email where if requested. (A pain to do on an individual basis but it is worth it to me to see the word get out. I have also let the local chapter of Master Gardeners know and will let them spread the word. I am doing the same for the garden clubs in the area. I will be sharing it with customers personally as they come in. I feel before this spring is over thousands of folks in Comal County will know about it. I am sharing this mostly on GardenWeb to encourage any other smaller types of business to consider this for their area or gardeners to approach a local business with this idea. It is not a new idea but one that takes a concious act on the part of a business to be a part of the solution not so much a part of the problem. We all can do more and we need to just start wherever we can locally as individuals and as businesses to use common sense and save time, money and our resources at the same time. Not all recylcing ideas make sense to me and so I am behind this because it does for me and the position I hold and the area (rural) that I am in. I can help so I will. Won't you join me and be and advocate for your area with something that makes sense to you? Thank You all for considering this concept for your area.
Happy Growing David

sounds like some places are still behind the curve on recycling ... around here the recycling centers take cardboard, which is one of the single biggest items plugging up N Americas landfills ... packaging is the most wasteful part of our extravagent lifestyle

Bill

We haveno company truck that can be used for this or the manpower, time or expense labor and gas to drive to the recyling center 25 miles away. This is what I mean by practical and cost- effective means of dealing with a recyclable product. The owners are not about to pay $50 a trip to do that. But since we break the boxes down I can fit a fair amount right in a existing bin by where the dumpsters are so minimal cost is involved that is not already incurred in putting it in the dumpster. The county recycles as well but has a limited reach and ability to slow the business waste stream. I am just trying to use a small simple approach to start the ball rolling and maybe others throughout their area will think of something they can do. Together and as individuals we can change things but economics and ease of recycling are the two biggest draw backs I see locally to more being done especially in this rural area.
Happy Growing David

I hear ya!! the only real use for large volumes of cardboard is re-pulping for making more corrugated or similar, that's why we all need to constantly be poking all levels of government ... the only way recycling is near viable financially is if it replaces some of the landfill costs ... the materials are not profitable in themselves, but cardboard does have some value, and getting a few dollars for it instead of paying a few dollars to bury it .....

Bill