How recycled cardboard improves soil and controls weeds

Got clean cardboard piling up? We’d love to put it to good use.

At Brown’s Arbor Care, we use cardboard as part of several sustainable land-care practices, especially when establishing gardens, improving soil, or restoring ground after tree work. Reusing cardboard locally helps us reduce waste and improve results. It keeps costs down too.

Why Cardboard Matters in Tree and Garden Work

Cardboard is one of the simplest and most effective tools for soil health.

We use it primarily for:

Weed suppression
Laid flat and covered with mulch or wood chips, cardboard blocks light and smothers grass and weeds without chemicals.

Soil improvement
As cardboard breaks down, it feeds soil microbes and earthworms. This improves structure and water retention. Fertility increases over time.

Garden and food forest installs
For raised beds, edible landscapes, and tree plantings, cardboard helps us convert lawn into productive soil quickly and cleanly.

Site restoration after removals
After tree removals or equipment work, cardboard helps stabilize soil and prepare areas for reseeding or planting.

What Kind of Cardboard We Can Use

We only use clean, plain cardboard. If you’re saving some for us, here’s what works best:

Yes, please save:

Plain brown boxes
Shipping boxes
Cardboard without glossy coatings

Please do not include:

Waxed cardboard
Food-soiled boxes such as pizza boxes
Cardboard with heavy tape, plastic, or foam attached

You don’t need to remove every bit of tape, but the cleaner the better.

How This Helps You and the Community

Saving cardboard locally makes a real difference.

Less waste heading to the landfill
Fewer herbicides used on landscapes
Healthier soil for trees and gardens
Lower material costs, which helps keep pricing fair

It’s a small action that helps keep local soil healthy.

How to Get Your Cardboard to Us

If you’re already a Brown’s Arbor Care client, just let us know you have cardboard available when we’re scheduling work.

If you’re not a current client but would like to contribute, reach out through our contact form and tell us roughly how much cardboard you have. We can often coordinate pickup when we’re already working nearby.

We prioritize clean cardboard from within our service area to keep transport efficient.

Thanks for Helping Us Care for the Land

Tree work isn’t just about removals and pruning. It’s about what comes next: healthy soil, strong landscapes, and smarter use of resources.

If saving cardboard helps us do that a little better, we’re grateful for the help.

Contact Brown’s Arbor Care
Have cardboard to share or questions about our land-care practices? Reach out through our website and we’ll take it from there.

Please Save Your Cardboard for Us