Moving can be stressful and time-consuming. So when you’re planning your next move, it’s important to take steps to make the process as sustainable as possible.
Transportation accounts for over 30% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, so it’s crucial to minimize your impact on the environment.
Sustainable Moving
Here are 8 ways you can make your next move greener and lower your carbon footprint.
Packing
Whether you’re planning a move yourself or hiring a professional company, there are ways to make your move more eco-friendly. Using biodegradable packing materials, recycling your belongings, and minimizing transportation emissions can all help to reduce the environmental impact of your move.
Before you start packing, take some time to declutter. This will reduce the number of boxes you need to tote between homes, save money on packing supplies, and simplify your unpacking process once you get to your new home.
You can also use containers you already have like suitcases, backpacks, camp trunks, duffel bags, and reusable grocery bags to transport your items to your new home. This will minimize the amount of boxes you need and cut down on waste by avoiding plastic bags and wrapping paper.
Another way to cut down on moving waste is to avoid using disposable bubble wrap and packing peanuts altogether. Instead, pack your fragile belongings in soft items like clothes, sheets, towels, and blankets.
Transport
Whether you’re moving to a new apartment, a larger home, or a different city, transporting your belongings can be an eco-friendly process. By using a variety of eco-friendly options for transporting your items, you can reduce your carbon footprint and the amount of waste created during your move.
One of the most effective ways to make your move more eco-friendly is by using reusable boxes and containers instead of disposable packaging materials. Using reusable boxes for packing will not only help to minimize your impact on the environment, but it will also save you money by reducing the number of cardboard boxes you need.
Another great way to make your move more eco-friendly is to ask friends and family if they have any old boxes or other moving supplies they don’t need. This can eliminate the need for buying a lot of supplies, which is a big waste of money and resources.
Recycling
Using recyclable materials for packaging can be a great way to make your move eco-friendly. It also cuts down on the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, which can contribute to global warming and other environmental issues.
Recycled paper, plastic, aluminum and glass are a few examples of recyclable materials that you can use for packing. They’re often available at your local recycling center, and they’ll help reduce your moving costs while also protecting the environment.
You can also ask family and friends if they have any extra moving supplies that they’re no longer using. Some people are willing to donate these items to a family in need, which can cut down on the amount of waste that goes into landfills during a move.
Finally, recycling is a part of a wider ethic of resource efficiency that conserves natural resources and energy by using products up to their full potential rather than creating new ones from scratch. Besides saving energy and water, recycling reduces pollution by reducing the need for raw materials, such as wood, metal, oil, and glass.
Reuse
When you move, you’re likely to have lots of discarded belongings that you can either reuse or donate. Taking the time to go through your things before moving can save you a lot of waste and make your move sustainable.
You may also want to look for reusable packing materials like plastic storage containers and repurposed cardboard boxes that you can rent from local moving companies or online retailers. Using these storage containers will reduce the amount of waste you create during your move and also ensure that all of your items are protected from damage.
It’s also important to steer away from single-use packaging such as styrofoam packing peanuts and plastic wrap, which are notorious for contributing to huge amounts of trash in landfills. Instead, you can use biodegradable alternatives such as cornstarch packing peanuts or even old newspaper.