Photo courtesy of ambrosialove at Flickr.com.
As most of us are aware, moving a household can be an expensive, time-consuming, and downright wasteful process. While there’s no easy way to cut down on the time it takes to move without making it even more expensive, you can drastically cut down on the waste with a little ingenuity and effort.
First, take a closer look at your boxes. According to recent statistics, about 13% of American households move every year, and each move requires about 55 cardboard boxes. Given that there are more than 105 million households in the USA, that comes to over 14 million moves a year — with about three-quarters of a billion (!) boxes involved. Where do most of them go after the move is over? In the garbage.
But they don’t have to. Not only is cardboard easy to recycle, you’ve got other simple options for saving money and resources. A few companies rent green options, such as reusable plastic boxes just like crates for recyclables. If that’s not an option for you, at least donate your cardboard boxes to someone else when you’re done. U-Haul offers a box exchange program where you can drop off your old boxes at some of their locations; just make sure the boxes are clean, dry, and still sturdy.
While it may seem a good idea to hold onto your boxes and stack them inside your storeroom or garage until you need them next, that’s not necessarily a good idea. Not only can they create a fire hazard, they may provide housing for critters you’d rather not share your stored belongings with.
If you’re moving within the same town and decide to hire help, another simple way to save resources on your move is to hire a local moving company, so they don’t have to waste gas and time (and your money) just to commute to your place.
Photo courtesy of sean dreilinger at Flickr.com.
{ 0 comments… add one now }