How You Can Recycle After The Move

Declutter

First things first: it’s time to declutter. The less stuff you move, the less boxes you use and the less time you take to move. As you begin to pack, start three piles: chuck, donate, recycle. All items in the chuck pile have to go as soon as possible. Donate and recycle items can depart when you’ve got a chance, but we recommend taking regular, small batches out when possible to help break up the move .

Look for package materials in unusual places

Suitcases, plastic tubs and drawers can all be used to transport items to your new home, so fill these up first. Then hit up your local supermarket, warehouse stores and other shops that you know get deliveries in boxes and enquire about taking these empty boxes off their hands. If they don’t have any on hand, ask if you can come back in a week, they might retain some for you.

Second hand boxes

Any good removalist should offer second hand boxes or at the very least, a recycling program for their boxes at the end of the move. Often, you can even rent boxes or sell boxes back to the company at the end of the move, which will save you money and help the environment, as it cuts down of the number of boxes in circulation. Talk to your removalists as early as possible, or seek out other companies and purchase independently if your removalists don’t offer some sort of recycling program.

Put your t-shirts to good use

Butchers paper, bubble wrap and other protective packaging can all be recycled, but that doesn’t guarantee that they will be. Cut down on the amount of these products that you use by putting what you already own to good use. Yes, your t-shirts, towels, tea towels, pillows and more can all be used to help protect fragile items and pad out boxes. As a bonus, not only are you saving on packing materials, you’ll also end up using less boxes overall.

Use environmentally friendly cleaning products

You no longer need to go to a speciality shop to get environmentally friendly cleaning products. Just hit up your local supermarket and look for products that are labelled as environmentally friendly. These are designed to work as well as their chemical- laden counterparts, so you shouldn’t have any concerns about purchasing something that won’t do the job.

If you want to be even more environmentally friendly, make your own mixture out of lemon, bicarbonate soda and vinegar – when combined they make cleaning solutions that professional chefs swear by.