How Can You Make Moving Storage an Environmentally Friendly Option?
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by: joe.moesier
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So youve opted for moving storage as a safe and economical way to move, and youre pleased with how little energy it takes to transport moving storage. Storage containers are indeed an excellent green option. But youre appalled at the waste involved in packing. How can you pack your moving storage container while still going green?
Moving boxes are the place where you can make the greatest impact on the environment. Rather than giving in to the temptation of convenience and buying a stack of new boxes from the moving company, check Freecycle, Craigslist, and other classifieds sections in your area for used boxes that people are giving away for free or for cheap. Even a small population center will have more boxes available than you will ever need, so place some calls, do a little extra driving, and stock up. You can probably avoid buying any boxes at all except for specialty boxes like glassware boxes and large picture boxes.
(Please note that this is not advised in areas that have problems with bedbug infestations or that have a lot of cockroaches. Both types of insects can infest cardboard boxes, so you may arrive at the end of your move with a problem you didnt have when you started. Getting used boxes from the grocery store should also be an emergency measure, since even the cleanest grocery store has roaches.)
Packing materials are another area where traditional packing generates too much waste and going green can make a sizable difference. Get used packing materials at the same time that you get used boxes, and supplement them with your own soft furnishings. Towels, pillows, and blankets should be used as packing materials, not folded in a box. When your soft furnishings run out, plastic grocery bags are excellent padding. (They arent eco friendly, but everyone has drifts of them anyway, so you may as well use what you have.) Newspapers are another superb green packing material. If you have no newspapers because you went green by switching to online delivery, shredded junk mail makes great "packing peanuts."
Depending on the type of moving storage you chose and how full you were able to pack the container, you may need to lash down your possessions with rope. Again, reusing others rope is a good option. If used rope isnt available, buy rope made of natural fibers, like hemp or cotton, or a recyclable form of synthetic rope like nylon.
Packing your moving storage container in an eco friendly way requires a little more effort and consciousness than the old wasteful way. However, the end result is just as safe for your belongings, and far better for the rest of the world. When you finish the cycle by handing your used packing materials on to the next person who needs to move, using a moving storage container will not only be a green moving option, it will be a green option, period.
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More information about moving containers, goto portablestorage.blogspot.com.
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