A moment we all dread but will have to face at least once, twice or thrice in life, is moving. Well, July 31 was moving day in the Crosbie household. Last time we moved, about 3 years ago, we bought over a hundred dollars worth of cardboard boxes. I hoped we would find someone to take them off our hands so they would at least be reused, but nobody did. All these brand new boxes that were used only once were done away with. What a waste!
This time, that was not an acceptable option. So I searched the net for a more eco-friendly solution – not only eco-friendly, but a downright wiser solution. I came across a whole variety of them, from plastic boxes that are loaned out by the moving company to box matching billboard services: you need a box – you borrow a box.
My husband and I opted for the plastic box choice. We went with Movinggreen.com, a division of Arthur Werner Moving & Storage Inc, which has been around since 1910 and provides services to the tri-state area (NY/NJ/CT).
The company concept is the following:
“Slowly but surely, we are changing the way we do business. We began with reducing the amount of paperwork. We eliminated all our brochures and made everything available online. All communication such as proposals, quotes, support issues, and billing are done electronically. All our boxes have been redesigned and made from recyclable plastic. This eliminates up to 90% of waste that is generated during a move.”
The process was very simple: start by filling out the on-line estimate, next a representative gets back to you with a quote. From there, we decided it was quite comparable to other moving services so we called to schedule a box drop off about a week before our move. We packed the boxes and on moving day watched the movers go. They stack all the boxes and hustle them out of the apartment. It went fast. The rep was very accommodating for the pick-up time scheduling – I think they ended up giving us three weeks. Lastly, the boxes were picked up and that was that. No guilt!!
Next time you move, plug in “moving green” into google to find all kinds of great eco-sensible moving options around the country. It’s just another way to make every little action count!!
Check it out – Movinggreen.com
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Not sure how it works in the states, but before I move in Canada, I like to hit the liquor store – free boxes that have previously been used to carry heavy bottles. They’re sturdy and a decent size – whatever you fill them with, you can still carry them.
Grocery stores are great places for larger boxes, and I use my own (new) garbage bags for moving linens and bedding and whatnot; once moved, they go back in their package and wait to be used for garbage.
Each time I moved I thought about all the packing materials that were used. I rarely buy boxes and will use previously used boxes, bins, and plastic bags.
You may have not intended to do so, but I think you have managed to express the state of mind that a lot of people are in. The sense of wanting to help, but not knowing how or where, is something a lot of us are going through.
Did you know that 43 million Americans move their home every year? It’s scary to think how many moving boxes are thrown away after this. I think that moving companies should be the ones to promote the reuse of cardboard boxes , because they have a direct contact with their customers, and they could collect and provide the used boxes, it would be a shame to waste them.
Great tip! People don’t often think about being green when moving, because they do it so rarely over the course of their lives. But across a multi-million person country, all those burnt or buried boxes add up … it’s terrible. There is more than one company that does green moves, though – there are even a few in the backwoods of Aus