Sunday, January 25th, 2009...2:24 pm
Moving Without the Boxes
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?
I have never heard of reusable moving boxes, but what I fabulous idea that I wish I would have thought of!
My music school used these boxes. Near the moving day each teacher had his/her stack of plastic bins in the hall packed and waiting for the movers. The bottom box had wheels on it so the movers could push the stack of boxes to the elevator. Also each box had a plastic pocket that had their name, new room number, and some of the teachers had marked what was in the box too. When I saw the boxes I thought how much easier it would be for the movers to pack the moving trucks. The boxes all fit together and stack neatly. It was a slick system. I’m glad to see that people can rent the boxes.
[...] Leah at Suddenly Frugal talks about moving sans boxes. If you must use boxes, check out my post on reducing the number you need. Looking to talk to [...]
Another green way to move if bins are impractical and free boxes aren’t available, it’s an nation wide online business called usedcardboardboxes.com. Keep quality reusable commercial boxes out of the waste stream by sorting them and packing them into moving kits with free UPS delivery. Definitely worth book marking for one of the most stressful events in life: moving!
hi, some moving companies offer recyclable plastic boxes that will eliminate mess after the relocation. thanks.
Good tip on recyclable plastic boxes. Do you happen to know which companies offer them or how people would go about finding out about their availability?
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