Moving This Summer? A Few Eco-Friendly Packing Tips

Packing your entire home into boxes, bubble wrapping the fragile pieces, stuffing with paper to avoid shifting during the move, taping the boxes closed........ WOW that's a lot of material! There are some eco-friendly ways to get your household goods from one house to another while keeping them intact! Movegreen has put together a list of eco-friendly packing and unpacking techniques.

Eco-Friendly Packing Tips

Boxes

Some simple eco-friendly packing tips may actually serve to save you money in the long run. For example, before you buy boxes, see what you can find via forums such as Craigslist, or another local entity. If you think in terms of "reduce, reuse, recycle," you'll be well on the path to eco-friendly packing. Boxes that are sturdy are the only ones worth using if you're pursuing a large/cross-country move. They'll go through more than you realize during transport. Last but not least, you'll want to overestimate your box needs.

Packing Paper & Peanuts

For fragile items, consider investing in recyclable packing paper, or using a stash of old newspapers or magazines that can be recycled at a later point. For the most breakable items, consider eco-friendly packing peanuts, yes, the kind that don't stick to everything and can be reused time and time again (great re-sale value!!!!) There are also cornstarch packing peanuts available for eco-friendly packing, providing a biodegradable option.

Reduce the Packing Tape

To combat the moving waste that will eventually end up landfill-bound, consider alternatives to the use of packing tape. Packing tape may be a necessity, but it doesn't need to be used excessively. There are also eco-friendly rubber-based tapes that are sustainable alternatives. For boxes that are lightweight and stackable, it doesn't take much tape to do the trick. Less tape used on boxes will also make them last longer.

Eco-Friendly Unpacking

After the big move it's time for the part everyone loves the most- unpacking. Unpacking in an eco-friendly manner is as easy as remaining conscious of expendable disposal. Expendables, such as boxes, packing paper, peanuts, twine, rope and bungee are all reusable moving resources. If you don't have space for them, you can pretty much guarantee someone else will want them. Ask around or put a post on Craigslist and watch the people come running for the freebies (or you can make a few extra $$). Another great eco-friendly unpacking option is to recycle the raw materials such as cardboard and the plastic-foam peanuts.

If you are moving and looking to purchase some packing materials, visit our online Box Store where you can purchase boxes that contain 20% recycled content and meet the industry standard in size and strength!