It’s Just Too Good to Throw Out’: Local Man Weighs Future of Cardboard Box Like It's a Real Estate Investment

Brock Ledger | Economics Correspondent | Sutherland Shire Gazette

8 April 2025

CARINGBAH — A local man is reportedly entering day six of an intense personal debate over whether to keep the “exceptional quality” cardboard box his new fridge came in.

Graham Ho, 67, has not used the box, has no plan to use the box, and yet insists it’s “too structurally sound to just chuck.”

“It’s not just a box,” he told The Gazette, patting the side of the 1.8m tall monolith currently parked in his garage like it pays rent. “It’s double-corrugated. Reinforced corners. You could move house with this. You could build a house with this.”

Neighbours report overhearing Graham holding court in the driveway earlier this week, pointing out the craftsmanship to anyone walking past. “You don’t see boxes like this anymore,” he said. “Reinforced sides, clean fold lines, a proper base — it’s a rare find. One of these days, something’ll need storing and I’ll be ready. That’s what separates the planners from the recyclers.”

His wife Jan remains unconvinced. “It’s been six days. He hasn’t opened the fridge manual but he’s measured the box for shelving possibilities. I swear he called it ‘the big fella’ yesterday.”

Sources say Graham has shifted the box from garage to shed to back patio, each time murmuring, “Just testing the light.”

Boomers across the Shire are reportedly supporting Graham’s stance, with one mate describing the box as “a generational opportunity.”

Meanwhile, Jan has begun quietly cutting the packing straps to “speed up the decay process.”

Council has issued a gentle reminder that fridge boxes can be recycled, but added, “Statistically speaking, Graham will die before he parts with it.”