5 Eco-Friendly Moving Strategies

Moving’s not just hard on homeowners. It can be hard on the environment as well. Moving supplies often contribute to landfill waste, while moving vans generate carbon emissions. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to make your journey more sustainable. If you’re planning to relocate this season, here are a few eco-friendly moving strategies to help make the process as smooth and low impact as possible.

Declutter

Whether you’re moving across town or across the country, transporting household goods generates a significant amount of carbon dioxide. Large shipments require bigger trucks and more fuel, so the less you bring, the better. Every home accumulates unnecessary, unwanted, and unused items ‒ toys, books, cooking gadgets, commemorative T-shirts, etc.

So rather than box up everything in your current home, go through your belongings and set aside anything you won’t need in your new home. A good rule of thumb is that if you haven’t used something in the past year, it isn’t worth holding onto.

Once you’ve determined which belongings truly matter to you, you can donate items you don’t need to charity. You could also hold a garage sale or sell your stuff online. There are a number of websites like Craigslist, Nextdoor, or Offer Up where you can sell or give away belongings to people in your community.

Friends and family are another great resource. Even if they aren’t interested in taking something off your hands, they might know someone who is. They’re also a great way to dispose of perishable items, like food. Moving trucks are not good environments for meat, milk, fruit, or vegetables, so anything that can spoil either needs to be tossed out or given away.

This same goes for dry goods as well. Bread, rice, and pasta might not go bad as quickly as the food in your refrigerator, but the energy required to ship them normally outweighs the benefit of bringing them with you. If your friends and family don’t want them, consider giving them to a food bank. Or talk to your Allied agent about donating them to Move For Hunger, a charity that uses transportation networks to distribute food to hungry families. It’s far easier and more environmentally friendly. Plus, in most cases, the cost to purchase new groceries is more than offset by your lower moving costs.

Pack Your Belongings in Used Boxes

Moving boxes are not single-use items. Their corrugated, multi-layered construction is durable enough to be reused several times without any noticeable wear. So rather than purchase new boxes, ask around to see if anyone you know has any old boxes you can use. Check online as well. People often give away moving boxes on community websites like the ones listed above (Craigslist, Freecycle, etc.).

Liquor stores are another great resource. Designed to transport heavy and delicate items, liquor boxes are extremely strong and come in a variety of sizes. Liquor store owners are normally happy to give them away, so you can take as many as you need. Grocery stores and restaurants are another option, particularly if you show up early in the morning or late at night. Apple and egg boxes are especially good, since they come with built-in handles.

Purchase Degradable Moving Supplies

Bubble wrap and packing peanuts are great at protecting your belongings from bumps, jolts, and vibrations, but are tough to recycle. Fortunately, there are a range of eco-friendly alternatives, such as shredded tissue paper, paper bubble wrap, and honeycomb cushioning wrap. There are also biodegradable packing peanuts made from wheat and corn starch, which break down in water. If you need to move soft, lightweight items, like bedding or stuffed animals, biodegradable trash bags are a good solution. You can even repurpose them to fill gaps in moving boxes.

Use What You Have

The best way to reduce waste is to upcycle items you already own. Suitcases, duffle bags, and backpacks can all be used to transport clothes, as well as books, kitchen tools, and small electronics. Shoeboxes can not only be used to pack shoes, but other items like jewelry, and utensils. Trash cans are a great place to store cleaning supplies, large toys, or sports equipment, like baseball mitts and bike helmets.

Towels provide excellent cushioning. Place them along the top and bottom of your box to protect against impacts. Instead of wrapping items in bubble wrap, use scarves, sweaters, and bedsheets instead. Oven mitts can be used to protect glassware. To prevent items from shifting, fill the empty space inside your boxes with socks, T-shirts, and old grocery bags instead of Styrofoam peanuts.

Instead of unpacking their dresser, some homeowners simply remove the drawers and secure the tops with a few strips of paper tape, which is biodegradable, recyclable, and compostable, reducing the need for extra boxes. Repurposing items like this isn’t just good for the environment. Combining household goods also reduces the amount of supplies you need, helping lower the cost of your move.

Donate and Recycle Moving Boxes

While some moving supplies can’t be recycled, moving boxes can. Most households need at least a few. Once you’ve finished unpacking, you’ll have to decide what to do with them. There are three options.

• Discard. While cardboard is degradable, throwing your moving boxes in the trash has negative environmental impacts. Landfills are a major source of methane gas, a significant contributor to global warming. Tossing out your moving boxes is an easy solution, but not an eco-friendly one.
• Recycle. Take your boxes out to the recycling bin or local recycling center. Some cities require you to break down or bundle boxes, so check the guidelines in your area. It’s a good choice for boxes that have been torn, compressed, or otherwise damaged, making it impossible for them to be reused.
• Donate. Before recycling your boxes, reach out to friends, family, and community members to see if anyone can use them. The demand for moving supplies is higher than most people realize, so it’s unlikely it will take long for you to find someone happy to take them off your hands.

If you can’t find someone who’s moving, consider donating your boxes to a school or community center instead. Daycare programs, summer camps, and youth groups often need boxes to store art supplies, recreation equipment, and decorations.

Final Thoughts

Planning an eco-friendly move doesn’t require a huge investment of time and money. A little extra effort is all it takes. Even a few small changes can have a significant impact, enabling you to complete your journey while minimizing the effect on the environment.

Efficient Household Moving Services

Allied has been helping homeowners for nearly 100 years. Our teams streamline the moving process, working efficiently in order to eliminate delays and make your relocation as seamless as possible. From planning to packing to shipping, storage, and final delivery, we make moving easier every step of the way. Contact us today for a free quote!