Back in December I wrote about a way that U-Haul was tying into Boxing Day with its “take a box/leave a box” program. The idea was to let people recycle moving boxes and keep them out of the waste stream.

I’ve also written about how I’d given away my own moving boxes on Freecycle. I liked the idea of someone else being able to use the boxes and my not having to throw them out. (I can only hope that the people who took my boxes then passed them along to someone else.)

Now I’ve discovered that there is a burgeoning business out there of rentable plastic bins that people can use when moving. These flip-top bins, made from recycled plastic, are the kind you might see supermarkets using if you’ve ever had your groceries delivered to your home.

The idea behind the bins is to take the place of cardboard boxes. Plus, the bins are resuable many times over, which gives a moving company that rents them a “green” edge. The rental prices for bins are comparable to purchase prices for moving boxes so even those moving on a budget could consider using them.

Do you know anyone that has rented bins to move rather than getting boxes?