When I first started getting bike boxes, I would knock them down and dutifully take them to the recycling center here in town.
Then I discovered their true value. My bike storage area was a mess, things were always falling over and the wife was becoming more and more bristly about it. I got a brainstorm and lined the boxes up across one end of the shop about a foot apart. In smaller boxes that would fit into the bike boxes I put boxes of freewheels, boxes of pedals, etc. There is a box of saddles and on the outside walls I store lighter items, like decals, empty Campy boxes, decals, bar wrap, packing materials, etc. I put bikes between the boxes and the drops on the bars go over the edges of the boxes and down into them, one on each side of the bike. I now have free bike racks that will not mar the bikes. The bikes never fall over, and a slight lift and a pull and they come right out. If I need to search for something in a box, I lift out a bike, sometimes two, and slide the box out and it's really a treat not to be going through piles of stuff and losing my temper as the frustration mounts. Everything slides right back in place and is organized. I always have a bike box on hand if I need it...one I leave filled with packing materials. The boxes sit on a wooden floor, I wouldn't place them on concrete.
Hope this helps anyone looking to solutions for the above problems.
Tom Sanders
Lansing, Mi