Go Green: Eco-friendly moving across the country

Heather Roberts — Today, it seems like more and more people are getting interested in the topic of being eco-friendly. And it is not only widely discussed, but also this 'green' way of living is embraced by a lot of folks each year. Basically, because of the fact that people are getting more concerned about the health of our environment and the preserving of the Nature, the green way of life tends to get employed in a lot of aspects of our daily life. Even in moving houses.

Everybody knows that this task is really tedious and also leaves a big amount of waste once it is completed: plastic wrapping, heaps of cardboard boxes, packing peanuts, etc. The downside of these is that they are only being used once, after which they go directly into the trash bin. So, next time you are about to go through a moving, why not embrace the eco-friendly method and cut down as much as you can of your moving related items.

Sure that's a no-brainer, but try to carry away as little as possible – only those items that you need and use and are of some value to you. Needless to say, the more stuff you have for moving, the more trips back and forth need to be done, which results in more nasty fumes into the air. If you believe there are thing you do not need anymore, why not leave them behind? However, do not throw them away, but rather donate them (clothes, furniture, electronic devices), or make a yard sale. This way these objects will not only go into the hands of people who actually need them, but you will also win some money. The lighter the load of the moving van, the less gas it will burn.

You can go as far as to empty the fridge of all its contents and to give them away. Surely, they will turn bad by the time you move in into your new home.

Usually, moving boxes tend to get used only one time, and once they've served their purpose, they get disposed, even though most of them are still in usable condition. What you can do is to browse around the internet, looking for ads for secondhand moving boxes. Once the moving is finished, you can try to think of something else to use the boxes for. For example, build your children a castle to play in. Or store various tools in them. There are dozens of options. However, if you don't need them for anything else, or you simply can't think of what to use them for – then it is time for recycling. However, there is also the option of buying polypropylene crates that could be used more than just once.

Securing your possessions could be done not only with bubble wrap; plastic degrades slowly and causes pollution. Why not use newspapers instead? Even towels and pieces of cloth can do the trick.

When choosing the moving company you will be working with, look for one whose vans run on biodiesel. If your company of choice does not practice ‘green moving’, ask them to make an exception. If the firm is a reliable one, they would be glad to do anything the costumer wishes.

Provided that you would like to perform an eco-friendly moving, the options that you have and can use are basically dozens. It all depends on how much time and effort you are willing to invest in that undertaking.

 

About the Author

Heather Roberts is a content writer from London, UK. She has great flair for decoration and interior design. She is searching for new challenges and hence often moves to different places. Therefore her present article is focused on how to easily recover if you moved to a new town.