Moving practices have grown to be unfriendly to the environment. We must do better for ourselves and our surroundings by moving more sustainably. It is our job as humans to cut back our carbon footprint in everything we do. How do you dispose of all your moving trash? Where can you donate your items? What kind of recyclable supplies should you get? Keep reading for more tips on moving sustainably!
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Plan Ahead
Planning ahead of time will help you reduce your carbon footprint. This will help prevent you from buying unnecessary supplies and will encourage you to cut back on resources you don’t need. It will also save you time from taking excess trips while moving back and forth. Eliminating these little bits of waste is a way of moving sustainably. If you aren’t sure how to get started check out The Moving Process: When, Where, And How To Start Packing to help you create a moving checklist!
Donate Your Items
Thinking about throwing away your old belongings? Remember that something you find old could be seen as new to someone else! Donate your items to the nearest thrift shop or charity such as the Salvation Army or Goodwill. Giving to these places is a great way to prevent waste and dispose of items sustainably.
Another great place to donate or resell your items is through Facebook Marketplace or NextDoor. This would help you get rid of your items without them having to go to waste. You could also make back a few extra dollars to help you on your move! Recycling your belongings so that someone else can reuse them in a different way is the greatest eco-friendly tactic.
Getting Rid of Old Electronics
Selling your old furniture may be easy because of the high demand on places such as Facebook Marketplace. Getting rid of old electronics though is a little more complicated. You can either repair, sell, recycle or give away your electronics. These are all great ways to get rid of these items while also preventing e-waste. It is a great start in moving sustainably.
Repair
Taking your broken electronics to any repair shop near you would save you so much money and also help you keep something important. The GeekSquad or an Apple store near you are great places with professionals that could help you repair important electronics.
Sell
Selling your old electronics would help you make some money for your move! Reselling would prevent e-waste from simply just throwing it away in the dump. Apple Trade-In, Decluttr, eBay, and Best Buy Trade-In are some places you can sell to in order to make back what you have lost. You could use this money to help fund a new electronic.
Moving Supplies
A big part of moving sustainably depends on the supplies you are using. There are biodegradable and also reusable options. Try to remove all plastic from your move. There are so many ways to keep your entire move green. Start by moving away from traditional moving supplies such as cardboard boxes.
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Reuseable Moving Boxes
Investing in reusable moving boxes, bags, or containers will help you out in the future. It is hard to reuse cardboard boxes because they get broken down and destroyed so easily. Using stronghold containers will ensure the safety of your items. You also wouldn’t have to go find or buy more boxes, if you ever plan on moving again! Some of our best recommendations for sustainable moving containers are:
Rent Supplies
If you have a lot of belongings still left after donations, you might need more supplies than usual. Renting supplies is an easy way to be moving sustainably because you are reusing supplies from other companies. If you are not going to be moving for a long time or ever again then renting instead of buying supplies would be more beneficial and cost worthy for you.
U-Haul
UHaul is a great place to rent your supplies from, especially sustainable moving boxes. Their Ready-To-Go-Boxes are a quick, cheap option to secure your items during a long move. You wouldn’t need to worry about tape ripping off or water damaging your things. All of these boxes are also stackable and would be easily organized in any form of transportation.
The company also offers other eco-friendly supplies such as enviro-bubble, furniture pads, biodegradable packing peanuts, cushion sorbs, and more. Make sure to check out UHaul’s Eco-Friendly Moving Supplies and Green Moving Tips in order to help out in moving sustainably.
Think Green
Moving sustainably means being aware of your environment while you are doing something for yourself. Be cautious of the materials you are using as they could affect your surroundings. Moving sustainably can help you personally as well with saving money in the future. By buying or renting more protective storage containers, you will be spending less and will also have better security for your belongings. Stop using those cardboard boxes that are going to break down on you. Donate your old items so that they can become someone else’s treasure!
If you think you will struggle to get moved all on your own, consider hiring movers as well to take some of the stress out of your move!
