Are you planning to move to a new house? Moving is not only stressful for you, but the rubbish generated during the move has a toll on the planet as well. For the sake of our planet, it’s imperative to ensure you’re doing your part by taking eco-friendly measures.
If you’re clueless about where to start, this post will act as your green moving guide. Let’s begin.
Start Early
Go through all your belongings a couple of weeks before instead of doing it on the day of the move. You should categorise your belongings into the things you need and don’t need in the new house.
This will also allow you to reduce the number of things you have to move and thereby lowering the resources and cost of moving.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. That being said, everything you don’t need isn’t automatically rubbish. You should take the best measures to sustainably get rid of these unwanted things.
Choose to sell or donate
Now that you have a bunch of stuff you don’t need or have space for, consider selling or donating them. We understand that it would be much more convenient to just discard these things instead of doing the extra effort to find a new owner. However, sending off these items to a landfill will increase your carbon footprint.
Firstly, you can ask your friends and family if they want anything from the stuff you don’t need. Secondly, you can donate items such as clothing and toiletries to homeless and women’s shelters.
Lastly, if you own a lot of bulky items that are in excellent condition, then you can sell them. From a traditional garage sale to online second-hand retailers, it’s quite easy to sell pre-loved items.
Smart packing
If you’re moving locally, there isn’t a need to pack everything in cardboard boxes. You can use your suitcases, laundry bags, buckets and reusable bags. Instead of wasting rolls and rolls of bubble wrap, use clothes, towels and blankets to safely pack and move fragile items. This will save you from generating a ton of rubbish.
Use sustainable packing supplies
As far as packing supplies go, there are many sustainable options available. For instance, instead of purchasing cardboard boxes, you should rent reusable plastic crates. These are much more sturdy, easy to stack and move.
In case of unavailability of such an option, you should only get biodegradable packaging. Another eco-friendly and affordable option is getting recycled packing materials. Remember, you don’t need brand new boxes to move.
Find the right moving company
If you’re planning to hire a moving company to help you with the move, you should take a look at their sustainability ethos. Recently, more and more companies adopting eco-friendly practices. You should make an effort to hire a company that operates in an environmentally conscious manner.
South Park Removals follows best practices for efficient, safe and eco-friendly residential removals.
Cautiously dispose of hazardous materials
There are many items such as acid, antifreeze, pesticides, engine oils, paint thinners and more that are dangerous and should only be moved by trained professionals. You should not move such items on your own in order to avoid the risk of fire, explosion or other serious accidents.
You should do a thorough research when disposing such hazardous materials. Also, you can give them to your neighbours and buy new ones later on.
Recycle, recycle, recycle
Your responsibility towards our planet continues even after the move. Once you’ve moved and unpacked, responsibly dispose of the cardboard boxes. You can keep some of the boxes for future use, while the rest should be properly recycled. You can give them away to someone who’s moving soon or ask your moving company to take them off your hands. This way you can ensure that they don’t end up in a landfill.
We hope this post inspired you to make your move green. Remember, the betterment of our planet isn’t just one person’s duty.