Top Tips for Moving “Green” in Fredericton

Moving is inherently unfriendly to the environment. It requires the use of disposable packaging materials, the transport of goods on gas-guzzling trucks, and the sorting and throwing away of items that are often in perfectly good condition. If you are planning a move in Fredericton and would like to lessen your relocation’s impact on the planet, consider scaling back a bit and putting the following green moving tips into practice.

Sort through Your Stuff Well in Advance

Rather than waiting until the last minute to decide what you will and won’t keep, sort through everything in advance so you have enough time to recycle, sell, or donate items before the move. Otherwise, you may end up throwing things away and putting them to waste, simply because you didn’t have enough time to do the right thing.

Buy New and Used Packaging Materials

Many cardboard boxes are used only once and thrown out, which is very wasteful and damaging to the environment. Although some Fredericton moving companies may prefer that you purchase new boxes because they are more stable, you can save a lot of money on your move by purchasing used ones. It’s often possible to find people giving moving boxes away for free on classified sites like Craigslist. Alternatively, you can look for people moving into your building or neighborhood and ask them if they could give their boxes to you when they’re done.

Limit Bubble Wrap Usage

Bubble wrap may be fun to pop, but using it is a green moving sin. Instead of padding your belongings with bubble wrap, consider using old newspapers instead. You can even use old sheets and towels as packaging material to cushion fragile items.

Hire an Eco-Friendly Fredericton Mover

To lessen the ecological footprint of your move, look for a Fredericton moving company that’s eco-friendly. For example, some Fredericton moving companies may use packaging materials made of recycled products or drive trucks that run on bio-fuel.

Make sure that the Fredericton moving company you hire uses the smallest truck possible to transport your belongings. The larger the truck is, the more gas it will require to get where it needs to go. It is best to tightly pack the moving truck to eliminate the need for making multiple trips and to ensure that the items inside truck don’t shift during transit.

Use Environmentally-Friendly Cleaning Products

As you pack and clear out your home, use environmentally-friendly cleaning products to remove dirt, germs, and stains. One of the most affordable, cost-effective, and eco-friendly products you can use for house cleaning is white distilled vinegar. Vinegar kills germs, bacteria, and mold and is a powerful household cleaner. There are also plenty of eco-friendly cleaning product brands available, but they cost significantly more than vinegar.

Reject Junk Mail

Vast amounts of precious resources are wasted in the creation of direct mail, which has a response rate of only 2%. That means that 98% of the resources used to create direct mail pieces are wasted. When you move into your new home in Fredericton, you can stop all the junk mail from piling in your mailbox by putting a “No Admail” or “No Junkmail” sign on it.