Steps for an Eco-Friendly Move

If you are planning on moving soon, you are not alone. June, July, and August are the busiest months in the moving season from April to September. The combination of no school, nicer weather, and the beginning of college makes it an ideal time. Even so, it can be stressful, but with some simple tricks, you can make your move easier on you and on the planet.

Begin preparing for the move by donating, recycling, or selling items you no longer use. Host a garage sale and bring the buyers to you! Pack up anything leftover and donate them in one trip. This decreases how much you have to pack up and reduces the gas mileage of your moving trips 

Use storage containers you already own to start packing with. You probably already own a lot of boxes or bags.  Using them to store items can also save you some space in packing these things up by themselves. Some options for this would be your suitcases, dresser drawers, gym bags, or reusable totes. You can ask friends or stores if they have any used cardboard boxes that you could pick up instead of buying new. If you still don't have enough or want to save yourself some trips, check out www.usedcardboardboxes.com for reclaimed cardboard boxes. They even sell entire moving kits that include tape, a cutter, paper, and markers with free shipping in a couple of days.

Don’t start with the kitchen! Kitchens are one of the most time-consuming rooms to pack. Many people choose to work on it first so that they don't have to worry about it at the last minute. But, if you pack it up first you will be forced to eat off of plastic or paper plates, cups, and cutlery or eat fast food. This generates waste that goes in the landfill and is a drain on your wallet.

There are a lot of household materials that you can use to protect your belongings before going out to buy more. You can use newspaper, egg cartons, blankets, and towels to protect various items in boxes. Use fitted sheets to protect furniture as opposed to large plastic covers.

Once you are ready to unpack you can reuse and recycle many of the items. Bubble wrap is great in the garden to keep the soil warm in the winter months. Wrap bubble wrap around pots and containers with the top a couple of inches above the edge of the container. You can also line your produce bowl with bubble wrap to keep fruit and tomatoes from bruising.

If you don’t have any need of a reuse option for your bubble wrap, remember that it is low-density polyethylene or #4 plastic. Whitfield County convenience centers and Dalton City curbside cannot take this material. You can drop it off at the plastic bag recycling areas that you see in many grocery or retail stores.

So what moving materials can we take? Cardboard and paper can be dropped off with us. Make sure there is no food waste on them as that can destroy entire loads of paper or cardboard. If you need to dispose of electronics we can take them for free or for $10 if they have a cathode ray tube.

Once you are in your new place you may choose to do a little bit of remodeling or redecorating. We can also accept post-consumer carpet for recycling for a fee. If you paint your new place and have leftover paint, consider donating it. To dispose of it properly take it on the third Saturday of every month from 7 am to 12 pm to the Old Dixie Convenience Center.

Moving can be stressful, but it can also be an exciting time. Start this new phase in as eco-friendly a manner as you can and set out on the right foot.