Following my recent international move (yay, we found our new home for the next couple of years:)), I am writing this post with my zero waste moving tips that worked very well for us. You might have to adopt some of these suggestions, depending on what is available in your region.
Now, moving, even if it’s just 2 blocks away is stressful and challenging. We all have our own ways of packing, sorting, and organizing and normally there is tons to do, with each person having different priorities. Double that when moving in a couple or a multi-member family. This was my 6th international move, so I was comfortable to add another layer, wanting to do a zero waste move. Read on to see how we did.
Moving tip nb.1: Make an inventory of all your possessions and what you want to move with you
Assess: repair/sell/donate/dispose of
There is nothing like a long-distance move to make you assess your possessions, and the value/hindrance they bring to your life.
Is if just fluff, taking up space or something you love, use all the time, brings you satisfaction/joy/good memories?
Several years ago, I “Kon Mari-ed” our whole apartment about 6 months prior to a move. This was probably the best thing I have ever done to make moving week/packing feel like a breeze. A lot of the stress when packing comes from constantly making decisions about what to keep, donate, get rid of, plus the emotions of leaving… Decision fatigue is a real thing. Google it if you’ve never heard about it. We had less stuff to move, and everything was moving with us.
The list of your possessions can be in your head only or written, however, you need to think of it in a unit of 3D, cubic meters, or cubic feet (or whatever measurement your moving company uses). This will tell you how many boxes you need plus how big of a truck you need to order. If you aren’t sure, a moving company will either contact you with more questions or send someone over to have a look. There is also a handy online calculator here.
2. Do you move everything or buy used/new there?
Do you pack all your possessions, even when it could be very cheap to just buy new once you get there?
There are merits to both options and it depends on the travel distance as well.
If you buy everything again, you will have less to move, less to pack, the movers will use less gas (and CO2) & be cheaper. But it will take time and resources to sell/find/rebuy/to assemble in your new place.
If you take everything with you, the truck will have to be bigger and heavier (higher gas and CO2 consumption), will take you more time to pack and unpack… but… you will be set in your new apartment much faster. You can start “living” pretty much immediately.
As far as eco-friendliness goes, re-using ( and/or buying used), is the most ecological option. Companies use more resources (wood, plastic, metal, electricity, human labor ect.) to make new things, plus they need to be transported anyways (most often long distance from China).
We moved all of our furniture, including cheaper pieces.
*Extra consideration: check what type of apartments are more common in your new home country, furnished or unfurnished. In France for example, most apt. are unfurnished, including the kitchen.
Zero waste moving tip nb.3 : collect boxes & packing material
We were lucky to have a bit of storage space with our apartment, so we kept some packing material from our previous move and started looking for additional moving boxes about 1 month prior to the move.
Where to get free moving supplies and boxes?
Depending on the country:
- work/coworkers
- family and friends
- grocery store
- post office
- farmers markets
- bookstores
- local businesses, like shops, pharmacies, or restaurants: ask them at least 1 week before you need it. Most shops get deliveries once or twice per week and boxes get disposed of quickly.
- zero waste Fb groups in your town
- expat or student FB groups in your town
- local online peer to peer sell-buy groups, forums, platforms or international ones like Freecycle
- ask for moving material in your local gift/ donation groups
Before buying plastic packing peanuts, see if biodegradable packing material is already available in your country. I’ve seen packing peanuts made out of corn and potato around here that dissolve in water.
Once you are moved in, offer your supplies to someone else online. I offered ours in an expat group on FB and I’m waiting for pick up as I’m proofreading this post. It took me less than 2 min to post a comment (with photo) and I got 4 takers in 2 hours.
Zero waste packing tips
- use towels, socks, comforter, or winter clothing as padding
- use old accumulated plastic grocery bags for liquids
- we used our neighbor’s old flyers between plates and fragile items
- you do not need to tape individual wrapped items
- use string (reusable) instead of plastic tape where possible
- save money on not buying “movers tape dispenser”
- fill your boxes fully and tightly – this also prevents breakage, but don’t make the boxes too heavy (pack books in small boxes etc…)
Zero waste tip nb.4 : eco-responsible transport
We opted for a moving company that provided it’s own furniture protection and padding, which they reuse for each client.
There is little you can do to affect the sustainability of the vehicle, however some companies might offer “joint moves”. If they happen to get 2 clients moving to the same place, they might move their possessions together in 1 bigger truck. We have done that in one of our moves, and no boxes were mixed up.
Personal transportation
We do not own a car. We were deciding between renting a car, train and plane. Buses were available, but we ruled those out. We used a handy CO2 and other climate factors calculator, comparing different options.
Note that the calculations aren’t 100% accurate. The numbers vary based on the number of passengers, time of day, type of car/train/plane, type of gas, speed etc. Also, the calculation for the plane is bellow is made for a 1 flight + train, whereas, in real life, we would have taken 2 flights to get to our destination (the direct route was closed in the summer of 2020).
In the end, we took the train, which saved a substantial amount of CO2, energy, and other gasses compared to car or plane.
You can also offset your ride emissions by supporting real green projects (avoid greenwashed projects) around the world.
My favorite ones are Carbonfund.org Foundation, TerraPass, and Native Energy in the USA, Atmosfair in Germany, Myclimate in Switzerland, ClimateFriendly in Australia.Â
Zero waste moving: tips for reducing food waste
I normally stop buying frozen veg or dry items about 1 month before to avoid food waste. I cook more intuitively, so it’s not a problem if I do not have an ingredient.
I planned our meals for estimated packing + travel days. Moving days can get hectic and the last thing you will want to be doing is cooking and thinking about zero waste. I also had food ready for the actual travel day.
I’m glad to say, we only ordered in once, from our fav. organic/ reduced plastic restaurant.
We also planned and made time to have sit down meals in our favorite restaurants in town (many “last meals”).
I made a big batch of what I call “travel cookies” for a quick non sugary energy boost, to substitute for package-full granola bars and snacks.
Zero waste after your move
I like to pack “first night” box. It contains all the basics, bar soap, toilet paper, toothpaste, towels, small pack of salt, maybe a spice mix… to avoid using travel sized items, and I have time to find an organic or zero waste store.
Reducing food waste once you arrive is a bit trickier, especially in the first couple of days after the move, when all of your belongings are still in boxes. I normally do a mix of quick pasta dishes, eating out, and allow for some take-out just after a move.
Smaller boxes can serve as drawer dividers.
I also look up recycling capabilities in the new town asap and like I mentioned, boxes and packing material get re-used.
Over to you.
Exciting times ahead of you. Much luck and success packing and settling in to your new place! I hope these zero waste moving tips were useful to you.
Drop me a message bellow.
Bon zero waste voyage!
P.S. If you know someone who could use these zero waste moving tips, share this post with them.
