Eco-Moving
By Jenn (TinyChoices.com) | July 26, 2011
I’ve been changing homes rather frequently these days, which, on one hand, is awesome- it’s probably the best way to avoid accumulating too much stuff, because what a pain it is to move everything every few months.
On the other hand, there will always be the things I need around me on a daily basis, and those are the items I’ve been shuffling around from place to place. And of course then there’s the stuff which I might not need but certainly want, like glitter paint and embroidery supplies, and that’s got to get moved, too.
Which means I’ve got to have a way to get this stuff from one place to the next, and do so in as non-wasteful a manner as I can. Moving boxes are good for some things, especially breakables, but they’re not often made from recycled paper and can get expensive if you buy them new. So when I need some, I check on Craigslist to see if anyone nearby has a batch to offload to me for reuse. It’s also possible to save those boxes to use multiple times- in fact a dear friend just told me that she’s on her 8th, and hopefully final, move with the same boxes! Since they fold flat they’re easy to store, and if you know you’re going to be moving soon then it just makes sense to save them up.
Every once in awhile I’ll purchase a big plastic storage crate for certain things, such as my outdoor gear. It makes for an easy way to both move and store an assortment of random items which otherwise would get misplaced, and those plastic tubs will never have to be replaced since they’re so much sturdier than paper cartons. Of course, it goes without saying that I do try to keep my consumption of new plastic items to a minimum.
Last time Karina moved, she did her green research and found moving companies which rent plastic crates, but ultimately went with a company which sells used cardboard cartons of various sizes.
My current gameplan is to use all the carrying vessels I already own to cart my things around- that means suitcases, rolly carry-on bags, my large assortment of reusable bags, and any other thing I’ve got which holds other things. When those resources are exhausted, I search for boxes to reuse (liquor stores are ideal for this). And the best part is purging as much as I can from my stash, so I don’t have to move it at all!
Have you moved recently? How do you keep it as green as possible?
[Image by mbtrama via Creative Commons]
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Do you know how many times it took me to read this post because I kept getting distracted by the adorable dog?
In my move from western Mass to Brooklyn, I rented a UHaul (terrible mileage, but they claim to be the best in the business, which is terrible) and had my friend drive me and move me down. I used boxes I fished from the paper/box recycling part of my apartment complex, as well as boxes used from the local liquor and bookstores. Whenever I move I definitely pack things into available bags and suitcases. And I have two plastic bins purchased in college that I still use for storage and moving.
It’s hard, truly hard! I also try to get rid of things I don’t need by donating to friends/Goodwill.
I too have done an obscene amount of moving in the last several years. The last one was great because I did a HUGE amount of purging before I went. If you move a lot, and there are some things that you know you want later in life, but can’t really deal with now (in my case, a piano), renting a storage unit may be a good idea, as long as it doesn’t become a dumping ground.
Craigslist is good for purging, and so is Freecycle - you also have a shot at boxes there too. Grocery stores are an option too, if you go early in the day before they crush the boxes. Tomato boxes are the best for moving (handles and a lid) and banana and egg boxes are good too (handles)
I went on Craigslist and traded an unloved guitar for moving boxes. I can’t play the guitar, and the person who answered the ad didn’t want to throw away his really nice moving company boxes. Everybody wins!
When I just recently moved, I used an embarrassing collection of plastic bags to cushion my breakables. They also work very well to add stuffing to a box that needs some extra space filled. (I definitely plan on re-using these same bags for future moves!)