Eco-friendly moving can be good to both the planet and your budget. Although it may not seem that way, moving can be very damaging to the environment. Your straightforward house move offers a lot of opportunities to unknowingly harm the planet. Potential sources of environmental damage during a house move are:
- Things used during the move and which have to be discarded afterward such as bubble wraps, plastic covers, paper, cardboard boxes, and tapes.
- Personal belongings you no longer need and have to dispose of such as mattresses, broken toys, old paperwork, and broken appliances or electronics.
- Air pollution from the back and forth movement of vehicles, as you shuttle between your old and new home.
This might not look like much until you realize that of the 328.2 million people in the USA, around 9.8% will move every year. That’s a staggering 31 million people every year. Also, consider that the average person moves 11.7 times in their lifetime, and you will begin to see the enormity of the situation.
But there are simple things you can do to reduce the carbon footprint and environmental impact of your house move. As Sterling Property Solutions explains, by planning ahead and with a little extra effort, you will be contributing to saving the earth while also saving yourself some money.
Here are some eco-friendly tips.
1. Get Creative With Your Packing
With a little creativity, you will find that you don’t need as many packing boxes as you think. Various items in your home can serve as containers to hold other items. For instance, instead of packing pots empty and stuffing them with paper, you can fill them with small items.
You may also use travel bags, plastic bins, suitcases, and even drawers as containers for holding other items. Ideally, if any item can fit into another item, then that is where it should go. You may also wrap items inside large towels or sheets and tie up the edges.
2. Use Eco-Friendly Wrapping And Covers
When looking for wrappers and covers, think of items that are biodegradable and reusable. But before you buy any of those, use what you have: bath towels, tea towels, old newspapers, and t-shirts. In place of heavy plastic sleeves for furniture, buy a painter’s drop cloth or muslin fabric.
These can later be adapted to various uses like an outdoor tablecloth or picnic blanket. If you use bubble wrap to protect more delicate items like glass, ceramic, and china, get eco-friendly bubble wrap or bubble wrap made from recycled materials.
3. Look For Used Or Reusable Moving Boxes
In place of new moving boxes, you may want to try used ones. There are many ways to get these. The first is from items you order online, many of which arrive in boxes. You can flatten and stack these boxes for use later, especially if you move fairly frequently. You can also get friends, family, and neighbors to save their empty boxes for you.
You may also talk to local shops and pick up their boxes every time they get new deliveries. If you have to buy moving boxes at all, go with one of the many companies offering heavy-duty plastic reusable moving boxes.
4. Donate Your Stuff or Dispose of It Responsibly
During a house move is when you discover just how much stuff you own. The move presents the perfect opportunity to declutter. Among your stuff you will probably find items that are broken and useless, things that are abandoned but working, and things that are in perfect condition but duplicated.
For items in good order, you may donate or sell them. Every item you sell or donate to someone who will make better use of it prevents a new one from being needlessly manufactured. For broken items that must be disposed of, check your local recycling service. Reusing items is a great way of eco-friendly moving.
5. Don’t Pack The Entire Kitchen
Between the time between when you finish packing your old home and unpacking in your new one, which could be more than a week, you will still have to eat. This generally consists of takeout or delivery food eaten with plastic spoons and forks out of a takeout container. During this in-between period, you can rack up a lot of plastic waste and override all your efforts at saving the planet.
To prevent this, do not pack all of your plates and silverware. Also, reserve a few water bottles for every member of the family. And don’t forget to tell the restaurant to hold on to their plastics.
6. Hire a Green Moving Company and Plan The Trips
Some moving companies are committed to eco-friendly moving. Many of them use vehicles that run on biodiesel and only reusable moving boxes. Look for one such company and hire them. But doing that alone will not reduce the carbon footprint of the trip. Make sure you also plan the move properly and avoid back and forth trips as much as you can. The fewer trips you make, the better for the earth and all of us.
Thank you for caring, cheers!
We hope you found this blog post on Eco-Friendly Moving Tips useful. Be sure to check out our post on Ways to Reduce Your Home’s Environmental Impact for more great tips!
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