As for the cardboard, it's easy to recycle, pretty efficiently. Plus you might look into this program: Https://givebackbox.com/amazon. Source: over 1 year ago

Do you think the item is in good enough condition to give to a friend for free? -- Try giving your items to friends and family. Otherwise, set the item at the end of your driveway and post it to Nextdoor and/or a Freecycle group on Facebook. If donating would make you feel better by helping someone else, take it to Goodwill, Savers, Salvation Army, a local library, a school, etc. Some donation centers even pick up... Source: about 2 years ago

At first, I thought OP's mention of "donation boxes" were actually these Give Back Boxes which would be filled with people's used items, but then OP clarified it to be mostly private label Chinese goods which makes more sense. Source: over 2 years ago

Fully fund DONORSEE projects https://donorsee.com. Source: almost 3 years ago

The huge problem might be the inability of most people on here to realize that theirs is not the only legitimate perspective but I guess you could be right. Either way, no one one here sees open to exploring that possibility. Guess I’ll see my way out. PS. If you do like donating to food banks and such, check out DonorSee. It’s a great way to help out people in need and see the results. Source: about 3 years ago

I felt the same way but the discovery of Donorsee helped me find a way to give that felt meaningful. Source: over 3 years ago