The next time you get ready to mail a package, take a look into recycled shipping boxes. Cardboard is not only recyclable, it can also be reused and repurposed. Shipping and Packaging Billions of packages are shipped around the world each year, most of them encased inside a cardboard box. Much thought has recently gone into biodegradable packaging for shipments since cardboard is a recyclable material. Many consumers choose not to use traditional Styrofoam or plastic packaging for ecological considerations. Cardboard is a stiff, heavy paper product and like most paper products is recyclable. In fact, cardboard can be recycled as many as eight times before the fibers become too weak to use. Considering the number of cardboard boxes being purchased and used each year, it makes sense to use recycled shipping boxes, and then recycle the ones you have on hand when you have no further use for them. Where to Purchase Recycled Shipping Boxes More and more companies that deal in shipping and cardboard boxes have adopted recycling programs and offer shipping products made from recycled materials. The choices for a recycled product are numerous. Many companies buy back boxes and offer a drop-off center so you can recycle your old boxes when you're finished using them. Used Cardboard Boxes: Probably the most environmentally-friendly of them all, Use Cardboard Boxes reuses shipping boxes rather than sending them through the recycling process of separation and bailing. Staples: Does your business do a lot of shipping? The same Staples where you buy your office supplies also carries recycled shipping supplies and boxes. Purchase these in bulk when you buy company supplies and save even more. Box Quest: Both used and recycled cardboard boxes are available from Box Quest. If a used box isn't going to work for you, then you can still purchase a new box from recycled content. Recycling Shipping Boxes If you ship and receive packages frequently, you may want to both reuse and recycle the boxes as much as possible. If you have some boxes on hand, consider the following: Take unused boxes back to the store from which you purchased them; frequently, companies will buy back your boxes or reuse them. Locate a shipping center or box retailer in your area; often large retailers recycle or reuse the boxes for onsite purposes. Take the boxes to your local landfill and ask about cardboard recycling. Most towns have a program in place, even if they don't pick up cardboard at the curb. You can reuse your current boxes by simply turning a box inside out, turning the labels, company logo, and shipping information to the inside. You can now reuse this box with any carrier even if it didn't come from them in the first place. Stop by copy shops, post offices and packaging stores to ask for any used boxes. Take the boxes home for free and turn each one inside out for a reusable product that didn't cost you or the Earth. More companies are beginning to understand the importance of both recycling and reusing shipping supplies. You may discover that some boxes are printed inside and out for your convenience, or are marked for multiple purposes, allowing you to reuse a box many times before needing to recycle it. As manufacturing practices get better, the cardboard itself gets stronger, leading to a longer use-cycle. Whether you use recycled shipping boxes, or you reuse boxes, once you're finished with the box, do your part by putting the box back into the recycling bin to start the process all over again.

If you do a search for "shipping container" on Apartment Therapy, you'll come across all kinds of shipping container architecture, from a single-container guesthouse to an impressive 8-container family home, an 86-container Travelodge to an entire "city" built with containers. It seems a lot of people turn to shipping containers in hopes of a budget- and eco-friendly solution for custom building, but one container homeowner — who just finished building his own — actually makes a case against building one if those are your primary reasons. Steve, a computer programmer and hobbyist designer, started writing the Tin Can Cabin blog to document the process of building his dream container cabin in Wisconsin. But after the experience, and having built other cabins more traditionally, he wants other aspiring container owners to think long and hard about going the same route. In this recent post, Steve asserted there were only two good reasons for building with a shipping container: for added security, and to make an architectural statement. He cautioned against the typical eco-home fantasies of living simply and building cheaply using salvaged materials. To all the people considering shipping containers for cost effectiveness and telling him, "I can build a container cabin for $20/sq foot" or "your cabin is overbuilt and too expensive, " he countered: Both of these comments are true if you don’t mind living in a shack more appropriate for a third world refugee camp. I’ve seen shipping container “cabins” with no insulation, the wrong insulation, raw plywood flooring, no wallboard or paneling, no roof, no foundation, and no utilities. If all you want is a metal box lying on the ground then yes, shipping container construction can be both easy and cheap. But once you factor in the costs of local permitting, transporting and craning in a container, welding and reinforcing, wiring and plumbing, and framing for flooring and insulation, the price per square foot of a container home is on par with (if not more than) a conventionally built home — even if you were able to score your container for free. And Steve only gives figures and scenarios for a simple cabin like his; an elaborate multi-container home would cost much more. As far as choosing a container home for environmental reasons, he thinks if you want to build sustainably, you should "build small and insulate well."

As promised, here’s the next set of shipping container home plans. If you have any feedback on the types of plans you would like to see in the future, let me know. The same goes for any other information you’d like to be covered on this site. If you’re looking through these plans and finding it hard to visual just what the results could look like, then take a look at the following video. This is an incredible modern design, and uses a split level to get even more usable space out of each container. I was skeptical as to whether this could work, but this video has changed my mind! So let’s begin with the designs that you could use to build your own container home. Plan 4 So here we have another double-container plan. This is a bright and airy design for both the living space and the bedroom. Plan 5 This design uses three containers, creating a very spacious living area, a decent sized shower room, and a bedroom that is split into two areas. Plan 6 OK, so this may be a little ambitious, but isn’t that part of the beauty of this kind of building? This is a 3 level building, and while the engineers out there might be screaming that this won’t work, there’s always a chance that someone can come up with a way of doing this for real. OK, the garage might be a push, but using the bottom floor for a motorcycle store, or other kind of practical unit isn’t outside the realms of possibility. It might be perfect for those of you who drive Smart cars. Let’s hear your thoughts for improvements! Well that’s it for this section. If you’d like to see more designs, then please let us know in the comments, and I’ll create some more. If you have any of your own designs that you’d like to share then let me know and I’ll be in touch. If you’d like to practise creating your own shipping container hoime designs, then have a look at

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It took almost two years for real estate broker and Crossroads volunteer Jeff White to build an affordable home out of recycled shipping containers. A lot of opposition came from the architects he approached to help him with the plans, though there were also quite a few bureaucratic obstacles to overcome to get the necessary permits. But now the Sarah container home is finally built and ready for occupancy. Jeff was inspired to build the home after seeing the makeshift dwelling of a homeless San Francisco artist named Sarah, and he named his creation after her. The Sarah container home was built using two 40-foot-long, 9-foot-6-inches-tall and 8-foot-wide recycled containers. Jeff began building the home in the driveway of his Salt Lake City, Utah home. After a city inspector cited him for doing so, his project gained lots of publicity and led to a faster permit getting and inspection process of the home. The idea behind the Sarah House Project was to create a prototype for a simple, sustainable and affordable home. The construction process was heavily based on the principles of DIY building from the ground up. The Sarah House was constructed by welding the two shipping containers together one next to the other along the longer side, resulting in a living area measuring 672-square-feet. They left the ceiling unaltered, though they did paint it white. So all the insulation was placed above the shipping container, which resulted in an R-45 insulation for the roof. The walls were insulated using Eckles insulation, which is natural insulation that uses sugar corn as a binder. As a base, they used bio foam, which resulted in R-26 insulation for the walls. They also put in clerestory windows that let in ample amounts of daylight into the house. For the window casings they used traditional 2 by 4 wooden boards, which is a simple and inexpensive way to frame windows. The kitchen is located along one of the longer walls of the container and is equipped with all the necessary appliances. The rest of the living area is open plan in that the main space was designed to contain the living room, dining room and kitchen all in one space. The house is equipped with a Rinnai tankless, point of demand water heating system, which is powered by gas. They used a mini-split system made by Mitsubishi for the A/C unit, which is designed to actually track the occupants and point the heat or cooling towards them, which enabled the buildiers to forgo the ducting process. The interior also contains a small area, separated from the main living space by a wall, which could be used as a home office or spare bedroom. They also fitted the home with a large. The bedroom is also separated from the main living area and is just large enough for a bed and a closet. It also has a large floor to ceiling door along one wall, and a private patio that looks out onto the backyard. The Sarah house is currently selling for $135, 000 and is available solely to low-income buyers. However, $40, 000 of that price was spent on getting the lot and building the infrastructure underneath it. Another $25, 000 went towards connecting it to the sewer and water lines. So, the actual shipping container home only cost around $60, 000 to build.

In addition to standard modifications, ConGlobal works with companies to customize containers based on customer specifications. We help you design a modification plan that suits your needs and maintains the structural integrity of the container.Some examples of customs modifications include the following. Electrical Packages – Choose from a variety of electrical services for your storage units or office spaces. Heating/Air Conditioning – A heating/air conditioning unit can be added to modified containers to help maintain a comfortable ambient temperature. Mobile Offices – These are ideal for temporary mobile offices at project sites, such as construction or emergency relief sites. Portable Storage – Shipping containers can easily be modified into portable storage units for mini storage or for large equipment storage. Retail Shops – Retail shops, such as floral shops or mini-markets, can be constructed out of multiple containers to provide a low cost, environmental friendly solution. Sustainable Housing – Homes built from modified shipping containers offer owners an equally durable construction compared to traditional housing material. Training Facilities – Complex fire and military training facilities have been built from containers. ELECTRICAL PACKAGES Choose from a variety of electrical services for your storage units or office spaces. Custom - Electrical Packages HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING We can install heating and air conditioning units to your modified shipping container for added comfort. Custom - Heating & Air Conditioning WIRING FOR PHONE & INTERNET Phone and internet connections can be added modified shipping containers that are ideal for mobile buildings such as offices and housing. Custom - Wiring for Phone & Internet SKYLIGHTS Skylights can be added to modified shipping containers to add natural lighting for offices and mobile buildings. Custom - Skylights FLOWERSHOP Used shipping containers can be used to create retail shops, such as this flower shop. Some creative design elements were incorporated into this custom modification to provide a very inviting store front. Custom - Retail Shops FIREWORKS STAND A fireworks stand was modified from a used shipping container. Shelving and windows were installed in the container for the ability to store product and also to sell product. MINI MARKET A used shipping container was modified into a mini market. PORTABLE STORAGE SOLUTION If you have a need for more storage at a job site or at your residence, we have an economical and convenient solution. ConGlobal can provide storage solutions to keep your assets secure during your project. We have a wide range of sizes, from 10′ to 53′. ConGlobal also provides refrigerated storage solutions for temperature-controlled products. Storage containers are suitable for a variety of purposes. Here are some examples. Farm Machinery and feed storage Non-perishable medical supplies Construction equipment Seasonal items Inventory overstocks Landscaping material storage Tires or auto parts Household items Bulk food items We supply both new and used containers. Schools, Universities and governmental agencies have all used our containers to fill their storage needs. Custom - Portable Storage Solutions MINI STORAGE Standard size shipping containers can be partitioned to create mini storage units. Roll-up or personnel doors can be installed to provide easy access to each individual unit. A mini storage unit can be a viable solution for customers that need individual storage but located centrally, such as military bases and schools. Custom - Mini Storage PORTABLE TICKET BOOTH Below is a sample of a shipping container that was modified into a portable ticket booth. This type of container can be used for events such as, country fairs, rodeos, and fund raising events. Custom - Portable Ticket Booth SNACK SHACK A used 40′ shipping container was modified to be a snack shack. A personnel door and a service window were added to increase the functionality of the snack shack. This container can be used at sporting locations, such as golf courses, and schools. SUSTAINABLE HOUSING SG Blocks, Inc. works with ConGlobal to provide sustainable housing through the conversion of used code-engineered cargo shipping containers into “SG Blocks”. On average, this structural steel building system saves a consumer 10-20% over traditional construction methods, particularly in urban locations and for use in multistory projects. It also meaningfully reduces construction time by up to 40% over common methods, contributing to a reduction in both hard and soft costs. The unique stacked box frame with its natural honeycomb effect lends itself to cost effective designs for superior resistance against hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, mold, termites, fire and blasts. SG Blocks can be delivered with a highly durable surface finish, or delivered ready to be clad with any type of standard or green building skin. For additional information please visit Custom - Sustainable Housing TRADESHOW BOOTH A new shipping container was modified to be used at a tradeshow to showcase the customer’s products in a very unique way. Custom - Trade Show Booth FIRE TRAINING FACILITY Used shipping containers were constructed to create a fire training facility. Custom - Fire Training Facility MILITARY TRAINING FACILITY Used shipping containers were constructed to create a military training facility. A multiple level structure was built to simulate combat environments.

The company Sustainer Homes recently unveiled a shipping container home that can also be taken completely off-the-grid. According to the company, the main reason for constructing these homes was offering the younger generation a flexible and rent-free living option, which is becoming a must for many. The homes are also mobile and facilitate low-impact living. Sustainer homes are meant to be primary residences, though they can also easily be used as hotels, holiday accommodations or emergency shelters. They are available in various sizes, ideal for one to two people. The basic version measures 323 sq ft (30 sq m) and can be purchased for about , 500 (€75, 000). They also have larger, family-sized containers available, while they are also currently developing offices, as well as container homes that can be deployed in various different climates. Repurposed containers are used to construct these homes, while the interiors are made out of ECOboard, which is a low-energy material made out of pressed grass. The containers are heated via a heat pump and sustainable materials are used for insulation. The homes are also fitted with a solar array and wind turbines for energy production. Using both of these technologies, the company estimates each container is capable of producing about 5, 000 kWh of electricity per year, which should be enough to cover the energy requirements of the inhabitants. The containers are also equipped with a 20 kWh battery system. In future, they also plan on integrating this system with the Toon smart thermostat and create an app that will monitor battery level, solar array energy production levels, energy usage and forecast the weather. The drinking water comes from collected rainwater that is filtered to Dutch drinking water standards. The used water is also filtered using a helophyte filter and then returned to the ground. Toilet waste is treated to eliminate the bacteria and then composted.

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Kevin Hayden – TruthisTreason.net Cross-posted at my dedicated blog, Years ago, I saw a picture of a shipping container house. I knew right then that I wanted to build one myself. Shipping containers are roughly 40 feet long and 8 feet wide, with the smaller conex being 20 feet long. They are wind-proof, fire-resistant, water tight, and provide a perfect “shell” in which to start with. I have some minor construction and heavy equipment experience, along with a basic understanding of electrical systems, so I thought it would be easy to accomplish. Here I am, years later, and I am just now starting my project. I looked at dozens of different properties for the project. Never could I find one that was within my price range or offered easy financing options. If it did, it had heavy restrictions and covenants attached to the land deed, preventing me from building what I wanted. I discovered very quickly that even in America, home of the free, we are not free to build the size of house we want and can afford. I soon learned that even out in the county-maintained areas, 20 or 30 miles away from the metro, that you could typically only build a standard 2×4 framed home starting at 800-900 sq. feet or larger. On top of all of this, many county governments require you to apply for building permits and have periodic code enforcement inspections – the very thing that I wanted to avoid! After thinking about it from a “typical home” perspective, I interpreted this restriction as meaning the home site should have 4 walls, a roof and a painted/finished exterior within 9 months. Well, I could certainly do that in 9 months since the containers already come with 4 walls, a stout wooden floor and a nice metal roof. Could I paint a container in 270 days? I was positive I could accomplish that and decided to move ahead with the land purchase. Nevermind the fact that I planned to use a bit of “wiggle room” when it came to the restrictions’ definitions and interpretation. I would leave the shipping containers in place to appear as storage while I slaved away inside to install framed walls, plumbing, and electrical wires, before finally working on the exteriors. In fact, with the design and layout of the land being so long and back from the roadway, most people would barely notice the shipping container sitting there. Most would assume it was simply a container or shed.

A new ISO shipping container presents a convenient solution for clients who require excellent condition, long life, or fulfillment of shipper requirements. New, one trip containers are in seaworthy condition and are ready to be loaded and transported. No repairs are necessary. New 20' Standard New 40’ Hard Top New 40’ High Cube New 20'shipping containers & 40' shipping containers are shipped with cargo only one time, meaning your storage unit is exposed to the harsh ocean environment only once and is in the best condition available. New shipping containers offer 20 or more years of serviceability. New shipping containers are more readily available in a wide choice of sizes and configurations than used containers. 10', 16', 20', 24', 40' and 45' lengths. Standard height (8.5' high) or high-cubes (9.5' high). Choose between double doors on one end or on both ends of the containers. New ocean-going containers are manufactured with Corten steel corrugated panels and doors. Corten steel features a protective layer that resists corrosion, leading to an even longer life for your container. Certified ISO standards insure units can be loaded and moved with up to 30 tons gross weight, the standard in the international shipping industry. Units can support forklift loading and unloading. ISO cargo containers are manufactured under stringent guidelines and certified by Lloyd's Register and Bureau Veritas.