Want to move in an eco-friendly way? We can all agree that saving the environment is important. That doesn’t mean you have to become an environmentalist or give up plastic forever. There are little things that everyone can do to make their everyday lives greener. Moving, for example, can create a ton of unnecessary trash. Here are the 5 tips to make your next move more eco-friendly.
Search “moving” into Google images and the first image to pop up will probably have a cardboard box in it. For the longest time, boxes have been the staple moving tool, but what happens to those boxes after you move? Truth is, they’ll probably end up in the trash. For a greener alternative, use what you have around you:
Almost anything that you can put other things in can be used in place of cardboard moving boxes. I even used my laundry hamper during my move.
Not all of us have an endless supply of suitcases and plastic bins to pack our belongings into, so you’ll probably end up using at least a couple of boxes; however, instead of buying them new, reuse old ones. Cardboard boxes are literally everywhere.
I even found a clean box in my apartment’s garbage room. For more places to get free boxes, check out our blog post on free moving boxes. Not only will you be helping the planet, but you’ll also be saving yourself some money.
I don’t know a single person who doesn’t like popping bubble wrap, but once all the bubbles are popped, the wrap gets thrown in the trash. Some of the best alternatives to wrap your breakable items in would be towels, sheets, blankets, and clothes.
Moving time is the perfect time to get rid of unwanted items; however, instead of throwing away stuff, try selling it or donating it. It’s easy to post an ad on sites like Kijiji and Facebook or look into local charities. There are tons of organizations out there that will take anything from clothes to furniture to books as long as they’re in decent condition.
I don’t know about you, but I did a lot of cleaning before and after my move especially because of COVID-19. You can never be too careful during these times. I found myself using A LOT of paper towels. An alternative to this would be to cut up old linens, such as clothes or bed sheets, into rags. That way, they can be reused over and over again even after you’ve finished moving in.
