These days, eco-friendliness is being widely discussed. The green way of living is being embraced by more and more people every year… and this, of course, includes eco-friendly moving!
I rarely change any aspects of my life and daily habits — but in this case, me and my family decided to green our move.
We realized that we truly are concerned about the well-being of our environment and that we want to do our best to preserve nature.
That’s why we started applying green living principles in our everyday life — even when it was time for us to move into a new house. (Yes, it is possible to be eco-friendly even in this undertaking!)
Moving is really tedious, but it also causes a lot of waste. There is usually tons of garbage left over once the move is complete:
- Heaps of cardboard boxes
- Packing peanuts
- Plastic wrapping
- And so on
All of these are used just once and thrown away afterward.
However, with our move, we chose to embrace the eco-friendly method and to cut as much as possible on the moving related items. Our motto was: “Think in perspective.”
Here is how me and my family carried out our ecofriendly move…
3 Eco-Friendly Moving Tips
#1 – Don’t move every item that’s in your house.
First of all, we tried to take as few things as possible.
Moving the entire household makes no sense. At least in our case, there were a lot of things that we had not used in the last couple of years, and there was no plan for them to ever get used again. The less stuff you move, the lighter the load is and the less gas you will burn — that will also save you money.
As for the things we did not take with us to the new home, we held a garage sale and made some extra money! However, if you don’t feel like doing a garage sale, you can just donate your items to those who might need them. I must say, I was impressed by how much we actually left behind!
We even emptied the refrigerator. We decided that by the time we arrive to our new home, most of the items will turn bad. We gave those fridge contents to the needy.
#2 – Reuse moving and packing supplies.
Next up, the moving boxes — a crucial element to the moving process.
In order for us to get moving boxes, we placed a couple of ads online. This way, we got boxes that were going to be re-used and for quite cheap, too.
Once we were done with them, we took them to the recycling plant. This was the most logical thing for us to do. Some boxes that were still not completely worn and torn were turned into a castle for our two young boys.
Another smart idea (which we unfortunately did not think of in time) is to buy sturdy crates — either plastic or wooden — that can be used over and over again. Or, you can rent moving boxes.
We decided not to buy any bubble wrap but to use old newspapers and towels as packing material instead. Thankfully, there were no damaged items. So we saved some money on plastic bubble wrap — which is known to regrade real slow and is a major nature pollutant.
#3 – Research moving companies that use eco-friendly practices.
As you can see, we carried out the move all by ourselves.
However, if you decide to use the services of a removal company, look for a moving company with sustainable business practices — like:
- Using boxes made from 100% recycled materials
- Using packing supplies made from 100% recycled materials
- Providing bio-diesel fuel moving trucks
If the company you choose simply doesn’t use any eco-friendly moving practices, you can ask them if they could make an exception (if you have something specific in mind).
Provided that they are a reliable company which values its costumers, they surely will be glad to stick to your preferences.
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Heather Roberts is a writer from London, UK. She has great flair for decorating and interior design. While searching for new challenges, she often moves to different places. Heather writes about home and office removals in Holland Park.
