Sandra in Minnesota

Got rid of them all when I moved.

pennycandy

I keep them for a while and then toss them if I haven't found a use for them. One thing I have found handy is the clear plastic egg carton that has two lids. Each egg compartment can hold the buttons from a shirt that I've cut up for quilting fabric. Love that the first lid keeps the buttons separate if the carton tips over.

tranum

Our old house had a walk up attic and all boxes went up there. I used all of them (and more) when we moved. No more walk up attic, so I save no boxes now. There is a Day Care a few blocks away, and they toss many good boxes so if I need one, I can get it there. I wash and save some plastic containers for sending leftovers home with family. Never seem to have an excess.

quiltingcandy

We save boxes for shipping - not too many, just the ones we know we are going to use. I keep the Amazon boxes at least 30 days in case I am going to send the item back, same with the QVC boxes. We do save boxes for Christmas gifts and then on New Years eve or day, the extras go in the recycle bin. We recycle the plastic boxes and grocery bags. I used to save them but when I was cleaning out my parents' house and I found huge bags of bags and those plastic boxes that come home from the grocery store there must have been well over 100. I understood finding the plastic bags, they were so wonderful after having paper bags it was special to get the plastic - and then it became a habit to save them. My dad even saved the extra napkins he got in restaurants - used them in his painting, he put them in coffee cans to lift out one at a time instead of paper towels. We have a cupboard where we keep a few plastic containers to send home left overs. But once that is full - they go in the recycle bin. The plastic bags get taken back to the grocery store once a month. I try to use the reusable bags but they fill them too full and it is difficult for me to carry. And sometimes I forget to take them in to the store.

Jane Quilter

No, out they go. Any storage containers in the house are permanent see-through plastic that I have labled. Even food containers are the purchased kind like tupperware that is stackable with interchanging lids. And there are very few of those because left overs go to the chickens to eat. I don't save hangers from the dry cleaners. That item had a hanger before it went to the dry cleaners. If I buy a new blouse, out goes an old one to DH garage rag bag or sliced & stashed if cotton to my sewing room, and the new blouse gets its hanger. Same with shoes, if I buy a new pair of shoes, out goes an old pair, unless they would make good garden shoes, then yea-ha, new garden shoes and out go the grubby old old garden shoes.

marymay

"SORRY" I don't save any cardboard or plastic. I learned my lesson when I had to moved. 6 bags of big bags of plastic containers. So now I only keep fabric. LOL

illinois

When I get an overflow of tubs/containers for recycle, they go to the local senior center or our church for use after potluck dinners. Can send food home with others attending. Animal shelters can utilize plastic bags for discarding refuse there. Newspapers/printed material goes to papergators sponsored by area churches. Be sure to remove your name and address from items put into these dumpsters and put that through the shredder. Never know who is collecting that information.

MaryKatherine

For many reasons we obsessively save cardboard boxes. Hubby has a book collection from which we occasionally sell, so he has to keep ALL the book size ones. I shift fabric so I like medium sized ones. I was just asking him today, ( I'm cleaning for company) if we could break them down and save them. We do have a box sealer and tape is cheap.

Roberta

Our local market, Hannaford, has large but shallow boxes that fish comes in. Years ago I asked the manager of the fish dept. what they do with them and was told they throw them out. I asked if it would be possible to have some since they are a perfect size for finished blocks and he saved some for me.

I haven't used them in some time so not sure if they still would be free but it's worth asking. Throwing them in the dishwasher took all the fishy smell away so no problem there.

Onebyone

I only save two plastic containers, the one Hellmann's Mayonnaise Squeeze bottle. No drips at all. And the Talenti ice cream container. I have white gift boxes on hand but don't save any of the other boxes. I don't save paper sacks or plastic shopping bags. They are put in trash as soon as I empty them. I have never had a 'need a box or plastic bag right now' emergency. LOL Actually it makes me feel good to get rid stuff.