When you prepare to move to a new house, your belongings are packed away into cartons and transported over long distances. A lot of packing materials are wasted during this process, not to mention the release of greenhouse gases from vehicles. With growing awareness about climate change and its larger environmental and socioeconomic impact, people are growing more and more invested in controlling their carbon footprint.
Below are some key ways you can make your move environmentally friendly
- Declutter before you move
You’re likely to have a full schedule when you’re moving houses, but that doesn’t mean you should neglect the important task of decluttering. When you take the time to sift through all your possessions and mindfully decide which items you would like to take to your new home, you end up with fewer things to pack.
This results in smaller shipments, which, in turn, require smaller trucks and/or fewer trips to transport to your next home. This will reduce overall fuel consumption and carbon emissions, making your move environmentally friendly.
It’s also important to responsibly manage the items you’ve decided to leave behind. You can recycle them, or in the case of non-recyclable items, you may gift, donate and/or sell them to ensure items in good condition continue to be used instead of ending up in a landfill.
- Use recycled packing materials
A key aspect of making your move environmentally friendly is reducing the amount of newly purchased packing materials you use. When packing up your possessions for the move, it’s a good idea to get creative. You don’t necessarily have to buy boxes and cartons for all your belongings, as many household items can double up as sturdy containers for them.
For instance, clothes can go into laundry hampers, books into wheeled suitcases, and clean trashcans can hold all types of household items. Towels, bed linen and even small clothing like scarves and socks can serve as insulation when packing fragile items like crockery or decorative vases.
By reusing your own belongings as packing material, you’ll be making your move environmentally friendly. Many international moving companies also make sure to use recycled plastic containers and cardboard boxes when packing their clients’ belongings.
- Hire an environmentally conscious logistics company
Hiring an ISO 14001 certified international moving company is another key step in making your move environmentally friendly. This certification proves that your moving company complies with recommended green moving practices.
Green international moving companies take a series of measures to curb the possibly immense environmental impact of their operations, including recycling packing materials, such as plastic boxes, cardboard cartons and moving blankets. These companies are also conscious about energy and water usage, and opt for such measures as energy-efficient lighting, solar panels, grey water systems and water filtration at their offices and warehouses.
If you need more information about making your move environment friendly, give us a call and we’ll guide you through the process.
