12 Places to Find Free Moving Boxes Near You (UK)

Let’s be honest, moving house is pretty bloody expensive. Which is probably why you’re looking for free moving boxes. 

We’ve put together a list of the top 12 places you can find moving boxes anywhere in the uk – completely for free.

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Where can I Find Free Moving Boxes Near Me?

1. Check out Freecycle

The clue is in the name – everything on Freecyle is completely free (including boxes). Join your local online Freecycle group and post that you’re on the hunt for free moving boxes, then wait to see if you get any responses. If somebody has any they’re willing to give away to you, you can then arrange a collection.

At the same time, you can also search through other people’s posts to see if anyone nearby has free boxes they’re looking to give away.

Note: the site looks like it was made in the 1990s, but we’re looking for free boxes, not award-winning designs. And the community on the site is really fantastic. 

Check it out here.

2. Ask friends and family

This might seem quite obvious, but ask people you know whether they have any spare boxes you can use. Perhaps you know someone who has just moved house themselves, or they might have boxes laying around from deliveries.

While you’re at it, you can ask if they have any bubble wrap leftover! If they don’t, don’t worry, we wrote this guide to help you out.
 

 

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3. Use Facebook Community Groups

If asking friends and family fails, try local Facebook Community Groups. Just join a bunch of groups in your area and ask if anyone has any boxes they’re willing to give away. 

4. Search on Gumtree

Believe it or not, you can find free stuff on Gumtree, including cardboard boxes. Search for free boxes in your local area and you just might find someone happy to give some away to you. Remember to clarify a few important things before collection though, such as damage and wet spots – you definitely don’t want cardboard boxes that end up being useless!

See what you can find on Gumtree!

5. Check supermarkets and local stores

Supermarkets usually get their stock delivered in cardboard boxes, so as you can imagine they usually have loads to get rid of! Head to your local supermarket and ask whether they have large cardboard boxes you can take off their hands. They’ll be happy to give them away to you for free as they’ll only be getting rid of them anyway!

6. Ask local discount shops for free cardboard boxes

It’s always worth asking any local discount shops, like Home Bargains and B&M for cardboard boxes. Just like supermarkets, they’ll often receive their goods in cardboard boxes, plus they sell in bulk too, so if you’re looking for large boxes they should be able to help you out.

7. Try wholesale stores

No luck at discount stores and local shops? Wholesalers will no doubt have a whole range of boxes to give away for free. Try Makro, Costco or Bestway for free cardboard boxes. You’ll see loads of boxes through the aisles, as well as customers leaving with them too. So, they should have loads to spare!

8. Local print shops

Print shops get loads of paper delivered to them courtesy of large cardboard boxes. So where better to find free cardboard boxes for moving? You’ll be helping them out by taking as many as you’d like off their hands.

Once you’ve got hold of boxes, you may need to reinforce them to make sure they’re strong enough to use.
 

 

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How To Re-use and Strengthen Cardboard Boxes

 

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9. Go to fast food restaurants

Another place you can find free cardboard boxes is fast food restaurants. Think McDonalds, KFC, probably even Leon! Their stock comes in large boxes, and so they’ll probably have loads of boxes hanging around in the back of the restaurant.

10. Head to your local recycling centre

You’ll find loads of cardboard boxes at your local recycling centre. If people or businesses aren’t reusing them, they’ll most likely end up here instead. The majority of the boxes will be flattened, but you can get them back to their usual shape with a bit of maneuvering and strong tape. Look out for clean, dry and undamaged boxes and you’ll be good to go.

 

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11. Ask local schools

As you can imagine, schools often receive a lot of paper, books and stationery supplies in large cardboard boxes. Even delivery of school furniture and food will be done using boxes too. Pop by, ring or email them to see if they have any boxes on the go that you can take.

12. Try office buildings

Offices much like schools get loads of packages and supplies delivered to them via cardboard boxes. It’s worth chatting with the front desk to see if they have any unpacked boxes they can spare.

It’s super easy to get cardboard moving or storage boxes for free. All of the places above will no doubt be pleased that you’ll be taking boxes from them. It means that boxes are not only getting reused, but it’ll lower the company’s or building’s disposal costs too! Once you get your boxes, find a storage space easily from one of our dedicated, local Hosts – perfect for when you’re moving house or simply need more space for all your stuff.
 

Find storage

 

Choose from thousands of local storage spaces

Find storage