We enjoy giving our readers green moving info because we understand the importance of the movement. I found this article on Mother Nature Network (MNN) about residential movers finding ways to go green which discusses some of the most recent trends the moving industry is experiencing in their push to be more green.
While trucks are slowly getting cleaner and more efficient the biggest change is the push for reducing the environmental impact of the packing process. Rental and used cardboard boxes have been around for a while and can sometimes be found from local movers and from companies like Ecobox which focus primarily within their local service area. Several new “buy and sell” moving box websites such as usedcardboardboxes.com, boxcycle.com and freecardboardboxes.com have popped up lately and some are easier to use and offer more than others with regards to services and ease of use.
Beyond that are companies like Earth Friendly Moving in the Los Angeles and Orange County Area and Frogbox in the Seattle and Vancouver areas which offer rental plastic bins. These bins can be used hundreds of times before going to a landfill instead of being used once and then contributing directly to the estimated 18% to 26% of landfill space that cardboard and paper consume. Earth Friendly moving also makes their boxes entirely from 100% recycled plastic and offers a variety of recycled products including packing peanuts, paper, bags and other moving supplies. In addition to being green these products provide a competitively priced alternative to traditional packing supplies.
I think moving green has become more mainstream in the last year since this post was originally written as more consumers are searching out ways to relocate with a smaller carbon footprint. Renting moving boxes made from plastic is a far greener and convenient way to pack and move your belongings than using traditional cardboard moving boxes. They can be reused hundreds of times (unlike cardboard which can be reused a maximum of 3 times before they break down) and don’t require tape (and are delivered pre-assembled). If you are moving green in San Francisco, Oakland, or San Jose you can get plastic moving boxes delivered to you by ZippGo.