A Complete Guide to Making Your Move Environmentally Friendly
Moving uses up a lot of resources. You have to put everything you own in a box and pad it, and all of those boxes, paper, bubble wrap, and other padding will usually just be thrown out after everything is unpacked. Plus, you have to load everything into a giant truck that will use up a lot of gas to take your things to your new home. The farther away you move, the more gas and oil you will use. All of that can be very bad for the environment.
If you want to be a better steward for the environment, you have more options than simply staying in one house your whole life. Here are a few things you can do to make your move more environmentally friendly:
Use Items You Already Own
Who says you have to pack your belongings in big, cumbersome cardboard boxes? You likely have a lot of items in your home already that can be used to transport your belongings. Big, plastic bins can hold everything from clothes to kitchen appliances. Clean out your trash cans and use them to carry yard equipment or kitchen cleaners. Use laundry baskets to hold linens and clothes.
The more you can use your own belongings to transport your things, the fewer boxes you will need to use. The fewer boxes you need to use, the less stuff you are putting in the landfill later. Even if you plan to recycle your boxes, using fewer of them means using fewer resources overall.
Use Cloth to Pad Your Things
Packing paper, bubble wrap, and other packing materials make up the majority of waste from a move. Yet you likely don’t need any of them! You can safely protect your belongings during the move with things that you already own, like your towels, bed sheets, light blankets, and even clothes like t-shirts or leggings. You can also sandwich breakable items between softer items, like pillows or oven mitts.
If you must buy additional packing items, choose materials that have already been recycled (such as paper) and that can be recycled again. This will minimize your impact.
Re-Use Packing Materials
You don’t have to buy dozens of brand-new boxes to pack your belongings for your move. You can find plenty of boxes that have already been used but that are still in good condition for your move. You can go to stores to ask for their boxes, which have only been used once and have been broken down for recycling. You can also ask friends and neighbors for boxes, or you can look on community sites like Freecycle and Craig’s list.
You can also find packing paper, bubble wrap, and other packing materials in the same places. If you can’t find enough, you can fill in with old newspapers and magazines – which you can likely find in abundance if you ask around.
Minimize What You Own
The easiest way to minimize the environmental impact of your Phoenix move is to minimize what you own. The less stuff you have to move, the fewer boxes and the less packing material you have to move. You’ll also need a smaller truck, and that will use less gas and oil.
Minimize your things before your move by donating or recycling what you no longer need or want. You can even sell some of your items, which can earn you more money for the move. Minimizing your belongings will not only reduce the environmental impact of your move, but will also reduce the amount of things you have to unpack and the amount of clutter in your new home.
Everything we can do to reduce our environmental impact helps create a better future for us all. Consider taking these steps to make your move more eco-friendly. You’ll also end up saving money on the move, both in terms of packing materials and in what you pay the movers.
If you are moving in Arizona, call A to Z Valleywide Movers. Our trusted movers can handle your residential or commercial move, and they can do everything from pack and unpack to load and move your things. We also handle storage if you are going to be in between homes. Call us today to schedule a free estimate for your move or to learn more about our services.
Published By:
A to Z Valleywide Movers – Michael Rodriguez
2316 E. Rawhide St.
Gilbert, AZ 85296
Office: 602-422-6409
Email: service@azvalleywidemovers.com
Website: https://www.azvalleywidemovers.com
