Green Moving: 5 Tips for an Eco-Friendly Move

Have you ever noticed how much waste is generated with a move? Sometimes it feels like you need to take your own dumpster along for even a smaller home. A large number of packing materials and personal belongings end up in the garbage.

Today’s market is focused on taking the waste out of everything. As a company that relies on cardboard boxes and packing tape, how do you advertise to the green consumer?

Packing and moving do not have to create waste. There are several steps consumers and company owners can take to make moving easier on the environment.

You may already offer some of these options! Consumers love knowing that they’ve made a socially responsible choice in picking your company.

Here are just a few ways you can make your company more appealing to the eco-friendly:

• Reduce: Make sure your employees aren’t going tape or box crazy. Only use materials that are absolutely essential to the move. Does that dresser need four layers of plastic wrap, or would one moving blanket suffice?
• Reuse: Offer customers a discount for reusing old boxes. Many consumers know they can go to a local grocery store to get free boxes for their move. Reward their hard work with a “green” discount.

• Recycle: Many moving companies take advantage of recycling programs. Make sure your customers know! Emphasize boxes made from recycled materials and recycle as many materials as you can.
• Donate: How many boxes of perfectly usable household items get left behind from a move? Helping customers donate unwanted items is a great way to contribute to the green movement and help out your community!
• Invest: If you’re truly committed to a greener business, invest in things such as reusable totes, moving blankets, or even biodiesel trucks. These investments can be very small or very large depending on your commitment. Invest in moving company software to avoid the hassle of filling the entries manually.

Many companies already take advantage of the money-saving aspects of greener businesses. You can save money by reusing packing materials and reducing the amount of packaging used in every move.

Encouraging customers to pack in used boxes and totes helps you save time. In the end, going green can save you a lot of green.