Moving house is a big deal—it’s a fresh start, a new adventure, and, let’s be honest, a whole lot of work. Between packing up memories and settling into a new space, there’s plenty to think about. But one thing that often gets overlooked? The environmental impact of all that moving.
From packing materials to transport emissions, the process can leave behind more waste than we realise. The good news? There are ways to make your move greener without adding extra stress to an already busy time. Plus, many removalists are stepping up with eco-friendly practices to help lighten the load on the planet.
So, let’s take a look at the environmental footprint of moving house and how you (and your removalists) can make it a little kinder to the earth.
The environmental impact of moving house
Moving to a new place, whether it’s across the city or the country, can be a challenging ordeal for several reasons.
For one, it requires thorough planning to ensure that everything runs smoothly. This can be mentally taxing and physically challenging, especially if you have limited resources and time to get things done.
Secondly, the act of moving house is also attached to increased waste production on a variety of fronts. While not the most explicit waste producer, moving homes or offices does lead to a negative impact on the environment in more ways than one.
Here are the most common ways that moving house can negatively impact the environment.
- High carbon emissions: Moving house entails using modes of transportation like trucks and cars to transport goods. ICE cars emit fuel exhaust into the air, which, in large quantities, can pose harm to the environment.
- Excessive packing waste: Moving homes may also entail the use of one-time plastic products like packing peanuts, bubble wrap, plastics, and boxes. If thrown right after use, this can take many years to fully decompose.
- Energy consumption: The manufacturing of packing materials and the general process of moving from one place to another can consume a lot of energy,
- Deforestation: Producing packing materials and vehicles requires sourcing materials from natural habitats like forests. This can lead to tree loss and a dip in the rich biodiversity of the targeted site.
- Improper disposal: During the moving process, people may dispose of things such as electronics and chemical waste incorrectly. This can lead to contamination in landfills and the immediate environment.
- Increased fuel use: Moving heavy objects around from one side of the country to another can lead to increased fuel consumption. With fuel and gasoline being limited resources, this can lead to a higher rate of scarcity over time.
- Increased landfill waste: Moving house can accelerate the rate at which landfills pile up. In turn, this may lead to a faster need for landfill expansion, which can take away precious land space from local wildlife and the community at large.
- Air pollution: Fuel exhaust releases carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides into the air. These contaminants can lead to more pollutants latching onto the air. This increases the risk of air pollution and smog in the atmosphere.
As seen above, there’s more than one way for people moving house to contribute negatively to the environment. While environmental concerns may be the least on the priority list for many movers, they have long-standing effects that can strike against overall sustainability and healthy living in the future.
Fortunately, many removalist companies are starting to recognise the importance of fighting against environmental inaction. As a result, many of them are starting to adopt practices to make their processes greener and more environmentally friendly.
In doing so, removalist companies won’t only slow the depletion of the earth’s natural resources, but they’ll also boost their branding and gain the attention of the growing number of folks who prefer green-friendly practices. They’ll also encourage people who’d rather move independently to adopt similar practices, making the entire movement more eco-friendly.
How removalists are going green
Failing to go green has some ecological consequences. Fortunately, more businesses are beginning to take a stand to promote the health of our planet, including removalist companies.
Some eco-friendly practices that removalists are beginning to implement include the following.
1. Offering box rentals
If requested early, clients don’t need to go out of their way to purchase cardboard boxes for one-time use and can instead opt-in to a box rental service provided by the removalist. These moving boxes are firm and double-padded, making them excellent containers for transporting heavy goods like disassembled furniture and books.
The best part about these box rentals is their reusability. Once a client has finished moving and unpacking their goods at home, the removalist company can get these boxes back and reuse them with the next client. These boxes don’t have to sit in an attic unused or be thrown out and contribute to landfills. This additional service helps create a cleaner and more sustainable community.
2. Using Electric or Hybrid vehicles
Another way removalists are turning to green alternatives is by adding electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles to their fleet rotation.
Traditional ICE vehicles, on the other hand, burn non-renewable fossil fuels, which can lead to various pollutants contaminating the air. This is especially true for dedicated moving trucks as they carry a lot of weight, thus requiring engines to work harder and consume more fuel.
Electric cars may be more expensive to purchase upfront, but they operate with renewable energy sources. Hybrid vehicles offer a decent middle-ground solution of being not as expensive but still remaining versatile in their ability to use fuel or not.
With electric cars, companies can reduce the consumption of limited resources and also help decontaminate the air. Many removalists feel that the greener operations justify the extra cost of the car and its charging infrastructure—and this can be an enticing value proposition for eco-conscious consumers in the long run.
3. Implementing smart routing to minimise time on road
While using electric trucks is ideal, not all removalist companies can afford one sustainably. Many still rely on ICE vehicles, and in such cases, eco-conscious removalists often pre-plan and select the most efficient route to reduce their driving time.
A shorter driving time helps cut down on fuel usage and carbon emissions. It also reduces a car’s mileage, increasing its long-term value and reducing the need to purchase a new car sooner than later. This driving method also makes the service more affordable for customers moving to better homes as the overhead cost of running the moving business decreases.
Furthermore, a key part of smart routing is reducing the number of trips.
Removalists consolidate loads and plan pickups, drop-offs and deliveries strategically. This reduces the number of back-and-forths required to move physical furniture from place to place. It also reduces carbon emissions when dropping off disposables in recycling centres and donation drives.
Removalists may also make return trips more efficient by taking on two or more projects simultaneously. In turn, this can make the service more efficient and eco-friendly for the betterment of the local community and their business’s survival.
4. Opting for reusable and biodegradable packing materials
Another way Melbourne removalists promote sustainability and responsible waste management is by switching to biodegradable packing materials.
We already covered the fact that removalists reuse moving boxes as an add-on service, but there are various other disposables involved in the process of moving house—packing peanuts, bubble wraps, and plastic wraps, to name a few. These items are made from non-biodegradable chemicals that can seep into landfills and waterways, wreaking havoc on local wildlife and contaminating arable land for generations.
To put an end to this, removalists are opting to use reusable alternatives to these items. For instance, fabric wraps may be used in place of plastic wraps, helping promote its multi-use.
Instead of packing peanuts, removalists may throw in moving blankets instead to protect fragile items. Alternatively, they may use cornstarch-based packing peanuts and kraft paper that break down much quicker.
By choosing sustainable materials, removalists can help reduce landfill contributions while still getting the job done for their clients. This can help them keep their community clean and happy for years to come.
Spanning Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and beyond, Kids on the Coast is an online guide and printed free magazine for parents. With kids events and activities, attractions & things to do with kids, schools and education, school holiday guides, health & wellbeing for families, parenting and lifestyle news. Located on Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast & Brisbane, QLD.
