How to Properly Dispose of Garage Items During a Move

It's time to move and you forgot about all the things you've collected in the garage. You have cans of paint, varnish, and plenty of other unique chemicals found in half-empty containers.

When you're ready to move, you'll have to clean out the garage and figure out how to deal with these chemicals. It may not be a good idea to add a half-can of paint to your moving truck. It could open and cause a huge mess.

If you need to dispose of your garage items because you're moving, make sure you know the proper way to get rid of these items. Here are some of the things to consider when disposing of paint, varnish, and other garage items.

Disposing of Paint

Paint is the most common garage item needing to be disposed of before you move. Often, when updating rooms or painting doors, you end up with extra, which you might keep in case you need to do a touch-up.

Regardless of why you have five half cans of paint, it needs to go before you move. There are a few steps you want to take and a few options you have for disposal.

If you don't want to waste the paint, you can try to use it up on your walls before you move. Another option is to ask around and see if anybody could use the paint you have. Sometimes, local schools can use paint for art projects or other projects.

Another way to get rid of the paint without disposing of it is to contact your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. They will usually accept latex paint. FreeCycle.org also offers another option to give away the paint.

Maybe you cannot find anybody to take your paint. If this is the case, you can dispose of the paint.

Start by hardening the paint by letting it dry out. When latex paint is hardened, it takes away some of the hazardous properties. You can dry it out in the sun, add kitty litter or newspaper to speed up the process, or even use a paint hardener to make it easier to throw away.

Make sure to check with your community, but many will allow you to throw out dried up paint with your household trash.

Disposing of Other Hazardous Garage Items

You probably have more than just paint hanging out in your garage. Maybe you have combustible materials, reactive materials, or toxic chemicals you need to get rid of before moving.

Getting rid of anything falling into the category of hazardous waste means you will need to read the labels and research your local county laws. Each county is ab it different and you should search "how to dispose of hazardous waste" + YOUR COUNTY" to find the right way to handle it.

Typically, you will either need to schedule a home pick up or find a drop off location for hazardous waste. Some materials may be recycled. If this is the case, you may be able to request a mail-in recycling kit for your hazardous materials.

It's also possible you can donate any hazardous items to a friend or a local company in need of the item. Depending on the items you need to dispose of, you may be able to take leftovers to businesses or charities in need.

Getting rid of any hazardous garage items is a part of making your move more eco-friendly. If you're looking to move in the most eco-friendly way possible, Chicago Green Box is ready to help with the right reusable moving boxes.

What it Means to Have an Eco-friendly Move

You’ve planned for your upcoming move when it comes to your professional relocation and your family’s new home, but have you considered how you will handle the details of the actual move? Now is the time to start preparing for your move and making the decision to make it an eco-friendly one.

This means that you are making choices along the way that will allow you to help avoid waste, cut back on moving supplies that harm the environment, and hiring movers that do everything in their power to contribute to an eco-friendly move. Take a look at what it means to have an eco-friendly move and how you can do this in your decisions.

Use what you already have

The first thing you are going thin you should do is buy dozens of cardboard moving boxes, packing peanuts, and other moving supplies to pack up all of your things. Then you will most likely throw them in the trash after you’ve unpacked in your new home.  This is a big mistake if you want to have an eco-friendly move.

Instead, make the first decision to use what you already have around the house to start packing your things. That means that you are taking bags, trash cans, bins, baskets, laundry hampers, and suitcases to pack your things first before buying new boxes for your move.

Suitcases are perfect for transporting clothes or even books since they can roll away heavy items out of the home. Baskets and hampers are perfect for your bed sheets, toiletries, clothes, and other items. Trash cans can be cleaned and used to hold all kinds of things in your household.

If you have bins or bags laying around, these are going to be perfect for holding a variety of things. Use trash bags for your hanging clothes while vacuum seal bags can pack bulky bedding and winter coats. Use Ziploc bags for small items.

In addition, you may have items in the home that work in place of packing peanuts and bubble wrap. Use blankets, towels, socks, and newspaper that you already own to pack things like fragile glasses, fragile household items, and filling space in boxes.

If you have received boxes throughout the year when you’ve purchased an item at the store or had something shipped to you, save those boxes to be used for the move.

Rent Plastic Moving Boxes

You probably won’t have enough suitcases, spare boxes, and other things around the house to pack up everything you own. For the rest of your items, make sure you rent plastic moving boxes that can be reused by someone else when you’re finished moving.

By renting plastic moving boxes, you’ll keep your move super eco-friendly. These boxes can be reused and don’t have to be thrown away after you move. Plus, they hold more weight than cardboard and stand up better in bad weather.

Donate what you don’t need

Another decision to make before you move to make a more eco-friendly experience is to simply move less stuff. This can be done by making the decision to donate, sell, or trash things you don’t need any more or things that are not serving your family.

Gift things to family and friends, donate things you don’t need any more like children’s toys, books, and food, and sell things that you wouldn’t like to get out of the house but the cash could be beneficial to the upcoming moving expenses. Take the time to go through your things to donate, sell, gift, and dispose of unnecessary things so that you are moving fewer things to the new home.

Recycle

Whatever you still require for the move, be it moving boxes or packing supplies, be sure to recycle it at destination rather than throwing it in the trash. You can even take someone else’s recycled moving supplies and use it for your own move.

Use a green moving company

An easy way to make sure you have an eco-friendly move is to hire a green moving company. They will help you from start to finish with a green move. This means that they will do things like using bio-diesel for their green moving trucks, using GPS to plan for the most fuel-efficient routes, consolidate shipments when possible to save resources, and supply you with eco-friendly packing materials like re-usable plastic bins.

Hiring a green moving company will be the easiest way to ensure you are moving to a new home without wasting a thing and in the most efficient way possible.

When you make decisions like these along the way, you are choosing an eco-friendly move. Avoid the waste this year with your household move by going green from start to finish.

What is a Sustainable Move & How to Achieve It

Moving is a big deal and it needs to be treated as such. Many times, when people move, they forget to consider the impact their move has on the environment. When you relocate to a new city or to a new home in your current city, you should have the goal of achieving a sustainable move.

What is a Sustainable Move?

When it's time to move, choosing green, biodegradable materials is a good start. A sustainable move is the type of move that's more eco-friendly and includes using the right products to ensure you're not creating more waste.

How to Achieve a Sustainable Move

The first step in achieving a sustainable move is to become self-aware of what it takes. To move in a sustainable way, you have to make the decision to use the right products for your move, specifically the packing and cleaning processes.

If you want to move in a more eco-friendly way, here are a few tips to help you achieve a sustainable move.

Plan Ahead

A sustainable move means you will be making decisions differently than the norm. You won't simply hire a moving company and have them pack everything up in cardboard boxes. This isn't the goal and will create waste you don't want to create.

Instead, you have to plan ahead to use plastic moving boxes and you want to plan ahead to ensure you make the fewest possible trips from the old home to the new home. In addition, you want to keep the three Rs in mind; Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle!

Sort and Donate

Before you start packing up your things to move, you want to go through everything and decide what to keep. You likely have many items you can donate to the local thrift store. In addition, you may have some items you can sell to lighten your load.

There's no sense in wasting effort, boxes, and room in a moving truck to move things you don't need or want. Go through everything before you move and donate anything you don't need or want anymore.

Use Natural Cleaning Products

Not only are natural cleaning products better for the environment, but they are also better for your health. When cleaning your old home and new home, avoid commercial products and choose the best natural products you can find.

Buy Second-Hand Furnishings

For your new home, you can buy second-hand items to furnish the house. If you don't already own the furniture and decor items you want, hit the thrift stores, consignment stores, and second-hand options to find the right choices for you.

Buying second hand ensures no new energy was used to produce the item. This falls under the reuse category and helps to make your move and your home more eco-friendly.

Choose Plastic Moving Boxes

One of the easiest ways to pack up and make your move sustainable is with plastic moving boxes. Since they can be reused by someone else when you're done, you don't have to worry about adding to the waste. Yes, cardboard can be recycled, as long as you don't get it wet or spill anything on it, but plastic moving boxes don't have to be reproduced, they can just be reused. Contact The Chicago GreenBox today and order eco-friendly, plastic moving boxes!

If you want to achieve a sustainable move, use these tips to make your plans. Make sure you keep the environment at the front of your mind and be aware of the decisions you're making during your move.