Moving house or an office is a complex and stressful process that can also be harmful to the environment. Just imagine all the exhaust gases released during the transportation, all those unwanted or hazardous items discarded improperly, or all the packing supplies thrown out without recycling. In order to make a difference and reduce your environmental footprint, here are a few useful green tips that will help you move in an eco-friendly way.
Green decluttering
When moving house on a budget, your priority task is to declutter and sort your belongings so you can take with you only the items you will need and use. If you think green, you will easily come to this conclusion: the less stuff you pack and move, the smaller space you’ll need on the moving truck, which will mean less fuel and lower carbon emission levels. So, take this first task seriously and keep only items you will use after you move to your new house. In addition, the less stuff you pack, the lower your moving costs will be.
Sell or donate unwanted items
Now that you have completed the first step and packed only the items you will use and need, it is time to get rid of unwanted stuff, keeping them away from landfill. You can:
- Donate – you can make your removal a green one by donating usable items to charity. Many organisations will accept furniture, clothes, books, electronics, appliances and other items that are in a good condition. Also, some of your friends or family members would love to have some of your belongings. Ask them if they would take some.
- Sell – remaining items other people might find useful can be sold online. You can organise a garage sale and boost your moving budget a bit.
Eco-Friendly disposal of hazardous items
Some items you have in your household may be harmful to the environment and they are not allowed to be transported by moving companies. Materials and products like cleaning supplies, paints, dyes, motor oil, pesticides and others can cause explosion, fire, corrosion and other types of damage during transit. Whether you hire the most reputable single item removal services in London or decide to move by yourself, you should dispose of them properly. Give away some items to neighbours or friends and follow the disposal instructions to get rid of them in an eco-friendly way.
(Re)-use packing supplies you already have
You probably have packing supplies in your home but you just haven’t noticed it yet. It is time that you become creative and use those old towels and bed sheets for packing fragile and breakable household items, for example. Not only you will save a good amount of money by not buying bubble wrap and other non-degradable packing materials, but you will also have a green removal that will help you protect your environment.
Use trash cans, bags, suitcases, blankets, newspapers and other for protecting and transporting your belongings. In case you do have to buy more packaging, make sure you buy eco-friendly ones, such as green packing peanuts and bubble wrap, plastic containers that can be reused, recyclable cardboard boxes, etc.