Millions of people move their homes or businesses every year. Until actually in the process of a relocation, it is hard to realize the number of materials and resources needed. While it is unlikely to perform a complete relocation while being %100 sustainable, by planning and taking the right steps, getting close can be a real possibility. Consider these green moving tips during your next move.
What to Move
A good way to start an eco-friendly moving is by knowing the destiny of every item in the house. Many items will be moved to the new location while many items may be donated, sold, recycled, and even thrown away. Some prefer to put them storage places like storage units St Louis. The lesser the number of items being moved means the fewer the packing materials, gas from the moving truck, and man-hours it will take to accomplish the move.
Eco-Friendly Packing Materials
The two main packing materials needed for a move are cardboard boxes and packing paper. A few good places to acquire boxes that are either used or from recycled materials are from others posting on Craigslist and from places such as Home Depot that offer affordable boxes that are made from recycled materials.
Since many breakable items such as those in the packing dishes process need to be wrapped and secured, there is a need for a lot of packing paper. Two good items to use instead of packing paper are the newspaper (if you don’t mind minor ink spots on your goods), and linens from your closet.
Using towels and linens are a good way to use less packing paper and boxes. Many movers will also rent moving boxes for the moving day. This is a great way to both save money on a move and perform a green move. I would advise NOT going to the grocery store to get boxes because many of these boxes contain bacteria from food and most of them are all random shapes and sizes.
Recycling / Other Green Moving Tips
- Places like The Salvation Army and Goodwill will kindly take many of your unwanted items off your hands.
- Check your city website and find out where recycling centers are located as well as hazardous material drop off’s.
- Post on Craigslist your used boxes for free or cheap to offer others a chance to perform an eco-friendly move.
- Hire movers who are avid environmentalists as well. Many of them will flaunt this status on their website or business card.
