Five Ways To Reuse Tech Packaging Materials

When tech products are purchased, they invariably come with packaging. Stuff that, more often than not, needs to be disposed of because it just isn't useful anymore. What if I said you didn't have to? What if I told you there are uses for that shit?

Here are some of the ways I've put old tech discardables to other uses.

1. Toilet roll holder

This used to hold a stack of writable DVDs. Remember those? Well... DVDs are this close to obsolete, and with them, the spokes that used to hold them aren't very far behind.

From this...

... to this!

But did you also know they make great toilet roll holders?!

This baby has been with me for years. It was from my first job in Desktop Support. I actually have a lot more of these, but my then-colleagues saw how useful they were and decided they wanted some toilet roll holders, too.

2. Laptop elevator

Look at this. So much packaging for one Oppo mobile phone. It's really neat and all, but what do we do with this once we remove the mobile phone?

All that packaging.

In my case, I use this as an elevating platform for my MacBook. Because I'm too el cheapo to get an actual elevator.

My MacBook resting on the
makeshift platform.

View from the side.

And here's another view from the side, where I've glued socket protectors to the side of the table to act as posts to coil excess cable around.

3. Container

Here's another example from mobile phone packaging. This one was from a ASUS ZenFone, maybe five years back.

More packaging.

Turn them into containers.

In this case, I managed to divide it into two uses. The outer sheath was used as a container for my other pairs of backup glasses. Because, when your eyesight isn't that good, you can't have enough backup glasses. The other was used as a container for all my spare change. And since I'm anal that way, I actually used those compartments to separate different coin denominations!

4. Mobile Phone Stand

Sometimes, it needs a little more work.

Cute, ain't it.

This little cardboard box used to hold a mouse. I cut a slit into the top flap and turned the box into a stand for charging one of my mobile phones.

5. Tray

These cardboard pieces were from MacBook Pro packaging. They were used to wrap the sides of the box that contained the laptop. Overkill? I don't know. But once my colleague unwrapped it, I knew I could use those cardboard pieces.

For what exactly?

And yet more packing material.

Here be cigarettes.

Trays for holding stuff. Like, ahem, cigarettes. Maybe snacks. Odds and ends. Come on, use your imagination!

Conclusion

Some might call this a form of recycling trash. I prefer the term "re-purposing". These things are no longer trash now that we've discovered a new purpose for them, right?

Good recycling to bad rubbish!
T___T