Green is “in.” Learn ways you can take care of our planet with eco-friendly moving practices. A few convenient changes can reduce pollution by hiring companies with lower emissions moving trucks to eliminating piles of belongings and packing materials that could potentially fill our landfills. Read on to find out how you can do your part to improve the health of where we live.
Eco-Friendly Moving Easy to Do
Don’t think moving has any effect on our environment? Think about the long distances moving trucks travel to relocate all your belongings. And what about all those cardboard boxes you packed your belongings in for one move and then threw in the garbage can?
Every year about 35 million Americans move. It all adds up. But a few eco-friendly moving practices exist, so you can at least reduce your impact when you relocate.
Hire an Eco-Friendly Moving Company
Of course, many movers have noticed this growing trend. They have invested in fleets with lower emissions, offer recycled cardboard boxes and perform other environmental practices.
For instance, Master Movers offers recycling to its customers. It can deliver your unwanted coffee table or recliner to charity. Furniture ranks No. 1 as the least-recycled household item. Every year, it totals about 9.8 million tons, or 4.1 percent, of waste dumped in landfills, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported.
Additionally, Master Movers brings unopened, non-perishable food to Move for Hunger and picks up and drops off hundreds of prom dresses every April to the Portland Convention Center for Abby’s Closet.
Reduce, Re-use, Recycle
You can do your part by following this motto with your household items. After all, you only want to pack what you actually use. So, let go of all those clothes you once wore in high school or college. Donate your stuff to charity, give it away to friends or family, hold a big yard sale, sell it to a second-hand clothing store or put it up for sale on one of the many online sites available nowadays.
Bring old TVs, computers, cellphones, appliances and other electronics to Best Buy or other retailers in your local community who recycle these types of products. If you need help finding a place that recycles electronics in your area, visit the Telecommunications Industry Association e-cycling website. TerraCycle and Earth911 also contain info about the proper disposal of items, such as paint or batteries.
Donate your used books to a local library or school system. Additionally, send books to troops, veterans, and their families through Operation Paperback.
Think Outside the Box
Scour your house to find containers you already own to pack up your belongings. For example, stuff your suitcases and plastic bins.
Instead of buying bubble wrap, packing peanuts or other packing material, use towels, blankets, clothing, pillows, cushions, newspaper or egg cartons to wrap and pack your items.
You may still need boxes to pack your stuff. Usually, you can find free boxes at office supply stores, bookstores, bars and restaurants, grocery stores, pharmacies, liquor stores, home improvement stores, recycling centers and even online, for instance, at Craigslist or Freecycle.
Don’t forget that once you finish moving to make sure all your boxes and packing materials get re-used or recycled. Organizations, businesses or shipping stores in your community may take them off your hands. You can also find takers by advertising online. At the very least, complete your eco-friendly moving by taking cardboard boxes to a recycling center — not a trash can.
Green Packing Materials
If you really want a full eco-friendly moving experience, use corn- or wheat-based and biodegradable materials that replace traditional packing peanuts, foam wrap and tape to seal your boxes, reports the Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability at Columbia University. After your move, recycle them by soaking them in water and watching them dissolve.
Master Movers Can Help You with Eco-Friendly Moving!
By following these eco-friendly moving practices, you can feel satisfied knowing you helped protect our environment. Call us today and our friendly and experienced staff at Master Movers will help you with your next move and make going green easy. Mother Nature will thank you!