Moving from one house to another is messy but in this article we will give you 10 ways to reduce waste when packing and moving.
No matter how much you try to control the wasteful nature of moving, sooner or later, you will need to plan for managing the inevitable consequence of moving, which is waste management. Obviously, the amount of waste produced while moving homes is directly proportional to the size of the move. Waste management becomes much easier if you’re a single person with only a few items to move.
However, larger homes with multiple family members moving from one location to another can generate a lot of waste. The good news is that you can reduce waste when packing and moving drastically with just a little bit of planning. The following are 10 ideas to help reduce waste when packing and moving.
Itemize
Start the decluttering process. Once you have a rough idea of the date for the move, you can start auditing what you have. This will make things a lot easier when deciding what you want to keep and what to throw away.
Start Collecting
In most cases, moving from one house to another does not happen suddenly. Usually, you will know months in advance that you will be packing and moving. Therefore, start planning ahead of the move by collecting items that will help with the move. Some of the most important items you will need are boxes and bags. Start saving boxes or bags that you get when going out shopping. Don’t have enough boxes? No problem. The next time you go shopping ask the store if they have any extra boxes, most will gladly give.
Clothes have multiple uses
Start saving old clothes. Clothes can be used to wrap delicate items such as lamps and porcelain items. Clothes can also be used to line boxes being used to carry fragile goods. The less bubble wrap and packing peanuts you use, the less waste you must deal with at the end of the move.
Be smart with moving companies
Use a moving company. Some moving companies have reusable boxes and storage crates available. Start shopping around for a moving company that offers this option, and you can drastically reduce waste when moving.
Start selling; Part 1
Do a yard sale or two. If you have junk piled up over the years, then it is time to start doing yard sales. Just because something has no value to you does not mean someone else will not find it valuable. “One person’s trash can be another person’s treasure” as the old saying goes. Yard sales or garage sales are a great way to get rid of older electronic items, books, and toys; as a bonus, you may also make some money.
Start selling; part 2
Online sales can be lucrative. Garage sales are good for getting rid of smaller, less valuable items. However, if you want to part with larger, more valuable objects, then sell them online. Several online platforms make it easy to do this. If you have an extra sofa or bed that you want to sell, then maybe online is the best way to go. Put up some pictures and a brief description and interested people will come to your house and pick it up.
Detox the house
Time to get rid of hazardous items. When the time comes to move, you don’t want to get bogged down by leftover paint, old batteries, pesticides, etc. Start getting rid of these as soon as possible to reduce waste when packing and moving.
Re-use by recycling
Recycle, recycle, recycle! You live in a world where you can recycle everything. It’s just that when going through the chaos of moving, recycling things may not exactly be on top of your mind. Once you have reached your destination, carefully categorize all items that can be recycled. Biodegradable items can be thrown into the trash. Check with the county’s rules regarding what can be thrown away and what needs to be recycled.
Anything can be a carrier
Make use of what you already have when moving. Start pulling out old suitcases to help with transportation. You can even get creative by using non-traditional items to help transport things like washers, dryers, canoes, or any other hollow object.
Be charitable
Start giving away things. You can give away items before and after the move is done. Before the move, give away anything you don’t need and cannot sell. After the move, you can give items such as the boxes you used for someone else to use.
