In this season of online shopping, we are inundated with cardboard boxes, and fortunately corrugated packaging is 100% recyclable. The majority of the time, we just take the cardboard boxes apart and leave them outside our house for collection every other week – but there are other ways we can reuse them this Christmas, instead of piling them up like the leaning tower of Pisa.

We have put together our top 5 suggestions of how you can reuse your cardboard boxes this Christmas:

1. Cardboard Drawer Dividers

A very easy and simple way to get your drawers organized and keep your clothes separate. Measure up the inside of your drawers, cut out two long pieces of cardboard making a slit in the middle for both, slide them together to make a cross shape and insert them into your drawers. Whether you’re separating your socks, ties or different t-shirts, this is a quick and easy way to reuse and organize yourself.

2. Cardboard Cat Scratching Post

If you’ve got a feline in your life, then you’ll know how much they love to scratch. Save your furniture this Christmas and give your cat their very own Christmas present by making a cardboard scratching post! Pile your corrugated card on top of each other and make a hole in the middle for a pole to go through, and there you have it – your very own scratching post that rivals ones you see in pet shops that cost over £100.

3. Give them to the kids!

Move aside all the presents you bought the kids this Christmas and give them the box that they came in instead – guaranteed hours of fun! Help them use the boxes to make a fort, a crawling tunnel, a car or even a doll house, their imagination is the limit! Cardboard boxes make a great sturdy shell for a lot of different imaginative games and helping them turn the cardboard into a kitchen or whatever they choose is a great way to reuse and also spend some quality time with the kids.

4. Storage

Cardboard boxes are great for storage, due to them being sturdy and lightweight, you can store your Christmas decorations in them ready for next year, or alternatively you can paint and decorate the box and use them as storage boxes for around the house for everyday items.

5. A light box

If you’re a keen photographer, or even if you just want to be, a light box is a must have for taking product photos. Instead of buying an expensive one for home, make your own using a cardboard box. Cut out the sides and add a white sheet, put your desired photogenic item inside the box and then point your lamps either side of your box – tadaa! You have your very own inexpensive cardboard lightbox.