We have all opened our Christmas gifts. Now there are a lot of boxes that need to be recycled or thrown away, depending if the material is actually recyclable, of course. The problem is we get a little lazy and just throw the box out on top or beside the garbage or recycle cans. This could draw the attention of a potential thief.
We’ve had to deal with the “porch pirates” before Christmas and now there are “box stalkers.” These are thieves that look to see what Santa brought on Christmas Day that may be worth breaking into your house to steal. Electronics are usually the most sought-after presents, so having a large screen television box, computer box, game station box, iPad box, etc. just sitting out for everyone to see isn’t a good idea.
Don’t attract thieves. Here are some helpful tips to keep thieves away from knowing what awesome presents you got for Christmas:
- 1. You can take your Christmas cardboard boxes directly to the waste management/recycling center; link found here for locations and hours of service.
- 2. You can break down the boxes to save space, but can also tear them into smaller pieces so that it would be difficult to see what was in them originally.
- 3. You can place the broken down boxes/packaging in the bottom of your trash or recycling can. This will make it more of a deterrent for thieves. Thieves usually dislike having to work harder for their gain when there is easier targets elsewhere. Adding garbage or other items on top of the packaging is also helpful.
No matter which option you choose, please make sure that your name and address are removed from the packaging.
