Introduction
Moving can be exciting, stressful, tiring and unfortunately wasteful as well. It involves a lot of packing, the need for packing materials and transport. The eco friendly moving practices mentioned here will help you plan a moving process that will have less adverse environmental impact because you took the time to make little but important changes to the normal moving practices.
Importance of sustainable moving practices
Traditional moving practices include a lot of packing materials such as plastic bubble wrap, plastic wrap, plastic tape and polythene to mention just a few. These materials are not bio degradable and once they serve their purpose usually end up in landfills. Adopting a more sustainable approach will help towards reducing your environmental impact, reduce waste and overall costs.
According to UCLA, ‘sustainability is the balance between the environment, equity and economy’, and that ‘sustainability presumes that resources are finite and should be used conservatively and wisely with a view to long-term priorities and consequences of the ways in which resources are used.’
Generally moving locations does generate a lot of waste, which is why more and more reputed movers are making the effort to make their businesses eco-friendly and help customers experience a more sustainable moving process.
Choosing an eco-friendly moving company
The first step to tick off your moving house checklist is to look for green moving companies. You can go by word of mouth or do a search for green removals company near me and hire a moving company that meets your requirements and budget. These removal services are committed to ensuring they reduce their carbon footprint and help their customers achieve a more sustainable move in numerous ways such as by packing and transporting possessions in suitable vehicles to minimise the number of trips or providing reusable packing boxes. They also work to reduce the amount of waste added to landfills always exploring options such as donation or recycling first before resorting to disposal.
Downsizing and decluttering
A great way to have an eco-friendly move is downsize the amount of stuff you need to transport. A thorough declutter before you start packing will help you reduce your belonging and only keep items that are of use and value. Maybe something is too big for your new place or will not suit the look of your new home, maybe you have not used something in ages and are just keeping it for sentimental value. Whatever the reasons, we all have more things than we remember and most of these we no longer use or need. Make separate groups of things to keep, upcycle or repurpose if possible, donate if in a good condition to friends or thrift stores or send for recycling and finally items that need to be disposed of. This way you will have less to pack, need less boxes and tape and on moving day have less to transport.
Minimalist packing
Today we are lucky because there are always more sustainable options to choose from and packing materials are no exception. You can easily find biodegradable bubble wrap, rent reusable moving boxes, use cardboard boxes, reinforced paper tape and instead of packing beans use old newspaper, clothes, linen to fill the spaces in between so that everything stays in place inside the box. You can use towels blankets to wrap fragile items and make them safe for the journey.
Using reusable moving supplies
Box rentals are a smart way to pack your stuff. Ask your man and van London service if they provide reusable containers or crates and if not you can easily find places that hire them out. You can start saving cardboard boxes and newspapers from the time you know you are going to move. Ask friends or family if they have boxes or crates or even suitcases that you can borrow for the move. However, it is advisable to discuss with your professional mover regarding the best way to pack so that you do not end up with a ridiculous amount of boxes and containers that will need moving.
Smart packing unpacking for waste reduction
Smart packing in the ways described above will help you reduce the amount of boxes and packing materials you will need. This is not only a saving for you, but it also reduces the amount of trips you may need to move your possessions to the new location. Maintain an inventory, use every available space such as inside pots and pans, containers, shoes to place smaller items so you are making maximum use of the box or crates. However, you have to keep the weight limit in mind so check with your mover if you are unsure.
When unpacking be mindful of how you dispose of the material and always follow the council guidelines regarding disposals. If there are recycling centres then be sure to drop off any recyclable materials such as paper and carboard. Most towns will have recycling programs so find out about your area so that you know where exactly to go. You may be able to enlist the help of your professional movers or companies that help take recyclable materials for a modest fee.
Conclusion
Sustainable moving is possible with a little early planning and finding the right removals Watford service whose company ethos also aligns with being eco-friendly. For the environment, sustainable moving can work towards protecting our soil, water, natural resources, promote biodiversity and to a degree mitigate our effects on climate change. Natural resources are not limitless and taking steps to reuse packing materials, reduce the number of trips made and reducing our contribution to landfills all help preserve these precious resources. Do your research and plan a sustainable move with eco-friendly practices and enjoy peace of mind knowing that you are making the effort to do your part for the planet.
