Eco-Friendly Moving Tips for Sustainable Contractors

Do you run your own sustainable contracting business? You might find that business in your area isn’t doing so well, so you decide to relocate and start your business elsewhere.

If you are truly serious about eco-friendly living, then you will need to find the most environmentally sustainable way to relocate. Truly eco-friendly contractors will take these tips to heart and try to lower their carbon footprint while moving. They should try to think about their carbon footprint during the entire moving process.

You need to be strategic when planning your moving process. You will have an easier time avoiding headaches and making sure your move is handled in the eco-friendliest way if you think things through. You might need to start by coming up with a checklist like this before you start moving.

Find the Eco-Friendliest Way to Move As a Sustainable Contractor

Moving house still ranks at number three when it comes to life’s most stressful events. Even contracting professionals can find moving to a new home to be overwhelming.

While it often heralds a fresh start, the upheaval it causes means that we forget about the environmental impact. It is estimated that the average UK house move produces almost 17kg of C02, which is the equivalent of leaving a light on for nearly two months! It is time to include the environment in your moving house checklist and save money too.

Skeletons in your closet

If a life edit is long overdue, you will save money and emissions by going through your cupboards and wardrobes and really considering whether you need so many possessions in your life. A clean sweep can be good psychologically, giving you a fresh start when your house move is over.

• Sort through unwanted items then sell them online or at a car boot sale. It might raise funds to pay the removal firm or fund a treat in your new home.
• Consider upcycling old items rather than taking them to landfill.
• Clear out your fridge, freezer and cupboards. Eat what you have rather than paying a removal firm to move it for you or donate any unwanted in-date items to a local food bank.
• Give to charity, friends or family but try to resist landfill or illegal fly-tipping.

Pack up your troubles

The boxes and bubble wrap you use at one end will have to be disposed of when you have unpacked. These items usually go straight to landfill or the recycling center, causing more emissions to get them there. There are online calculators available to help you calculate this.

• Ask shops and supermarkets for cardboard boxes they no longer need
• Use clothes, towels, socks and blankets to wrap fragile items.
• Use suitcases and shopping bags to transport lighter items.
• Pack compactly and sensibly to reduce space.

Keep it clean

Cleaning will be required in your old house and in your new one, so consider what you use and how you do it.

• There are lots of eco-friendly cleaning products available on the market so you can avoid harsh chemicals.
• Natural cleaning products such as lemon juice, vinegar and even brown sauce can bring windows, silver and brass up a treat!
• Only hoover at the very end, keeping your bills and emissions low.

Wise choices

Safestore has lots of ideas about how to plan ahead, which means you can make better choices and be better organised. Also, consider choosing a removal company that offers video surveying, energy-efficient vehicles and planned routes which will further limit the impact upon the environment. Overall, though, it is our own choices and habits which have the most significant impact upon the earth.

Lower Your Carbon Footprint While Moving as an Eco-Friendly Contractor

You have to put your money where your mouth is as an eco-friendly contractor. You have to be committed to sustainable living if you are serious about your brand. The tips listed above will help immensely.