Moving house is a time-consuming process, and often results in a lot of waste. These companies help us reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and direct impact on the environment while we’re moving from one place to another.
Moving from Pantry to Pantry
Emptying one’s kitchen of all food can be a daunting task. So Move for Hunger coordinates the transportation of that unwanted food from empty apartments to local food banks and distribution centers. To use their services, choose a moving company that already partners with them. If none are available, you can take your food straight to a local food bank. Or, offer it up along with your other unwanted stuff on a Buy Nothing group page.
Reusable Moving Boxes
When we moved 7 years ago, we rented boxes from Frogbox. This company delivers reusable moving boxes so you won’t have to gather (or, heaven forbid, buy) cardboard moving boxes. They drop off a stack at your old home and pick them up from the new one. Since the rental period is limited, it sure motivates you to unpack, too!
Are these plastic boxes really better for the environment? FrogBox claims they are more sanitary and more sustainable because cardboard boxes may be made from trees and are only re-used twice on average before being thrown away or sent for recycling (hopefully). Frogboxes are used hundreds of times. Once retired, Frogbox sends them to be made into new HDPE items.
Frogbox also has large sheets to protect mattresses, etc. made of biodegradable materials. While they only serves cities in the Pacific NW and Canada, there are companies that provide a similar service:
- BungoBox, serving Tucson, Dallas, Austin, Troy, NY, the Washington, DC area and several Florida locations, among others.
- U-Haul is also trying to get in on the action, but they only rent boxes for moves within the same city and do not deliver or pick up the boxes for you.
- Rent a Green Box invented this whole business model and serves Orange and Los Angeles counties.
