How to Reduce Food Waste Before a Move

Moving is a rather stressful process and it becomes a bit more stressful when you want to move in the most eco-friendly way possible. However, the right planning can make your eco-friendly move easier and give you a clear conscience at the same time.

One thing you will need to deal with when moving is the food you have leftover. If you want to move in the most eco-friendly way possible, you will need to reduce food waste to as close to zero waste as possible.

There are several ways to make your food waste much less, if not zero. Here are a few things to consider when moving and trying to reduce food waste during the process.

Meal Plan

About a month before moving day will arrive, start planning your meals based on what you own. Obviously, fresh foods won't last an entire month, but you likely have pantry items and frozen items you need to use up.

Start by taking a full inventory of your frozen items and pantry items. Make sure you know what you own a month before moving so you can start planning meals based on the food you already have.

Once you have your inventory list, you can start creating a meal plan to use up what you already own. Choose recipes using the ingredients you have on hand with minimal added ingredients.

Note: Be careful of recipes with ingredients you'll struggle to find in smaller quantities. If you want to make a meal requiring you to buy a new ingredient only sold in amounts higher than you really need, consider other recipes using the same ingredient.

Shop the Bulk Aisles for New Ingredients

After setting your meal plan, you will likely need to hit the grocery store for a few ingredients. However, you don't want to buy huge amounts or you'll just have a new food waste problem on your hands.

Shopping at a store with bulk aisles letting you buy only what you need is a great way to keep from creating new food waste. These stores will allow you to buy a small amount and charge based on the weight of the item, in most circumstances.

Eat the Most Perishable Items First

Moving with fresh and frozen foods isn't fun and will likely create food waste. Even if you have a big cooler filled with ice, frozen foods become a pain to move and they may not stay frozen.

Eat the most perishable items first. Start with anything found in your refrigerator and freezer. These items are most likely to spoil if you try to take them with you.

Some of the food items you can easily move with you include:

• Canned goods

• Sealed boxed goods

• Spices

• Oils, properly sealed and packed

• Condiments not requiring refrigeration

Meats, dairy products, fresh produce, frozen vegetables, fruits, and other fresh items should be eaten before moving.

Non-perishable items can also be donated if you don't want to bother moving them from one home to another.

Share Food with Friends

If you're getting close to moving day and you simply don't have enough days left to eat the 12 steaks in your freezer or the whole turkey you scored after Thanksgiving, it's time to share.

You can ask your friends if they would like any of the food you cannot eat or you can throw a dinner party and cook it up for everybody showing up. Either way, you'll be able to use up food without throwing it out and letting it go to waste.

Use these tips to help reduce your food waste. If you must move with food, make sure you properly pack the items you will be moving and make sure they make it into your new home first, especially if they are perishable items.

5 ways to reduce waste when moving

One of the biggest problems with moving from one home to another is that moving your household causes a great deal of waste. There are packing materials to consider and all of the things that may have cluttered up in the house to deal with when it’s time to move that can no longer be put off until another day.

Luckily there are some easy ways to reduce waste when moving so that you can have a more successful move without the guilt of wasting. Take a look at these five ways to reduce waste for your upcoming move.

Recycle those packing supplies

The easiest way to reduce waste when moving is to simply make a point to recycle your moving supplies after the move. You’ve likely used cardboard boxes, packing peanuts, and packing paper to move all of your household goods from one home to another.

When you arrive at the new house, it’s time to recycle or donate these items to someone who can use them rather than throwing them in the trash. It’s just as easy to recycle as it is to dispose and sometimes, there are people who would love to take your packing supplies for their own move.

Use what you already own

Sometimes moving comes with buying supplies to move the things you have to another home when you could simply use some of the things you already own as moving supplies. For example, instead of packing your suitcases in moving boxes, why not use those suitcases to pack up dresser drawers?

Instead of packing blankets in a box, use them to wrap fragile items and save on bubble wrap. Use up newspapers, old towels, and even old t-shirts to pack. Use the things you already have as moving supplies before you purchase anything that may become waste.

Go green with your moving supplies

Another great way to reduce waste would be simply to choose reusable packing supplies through companies like Greenbox, which means you won’t have any waste at all. Using these hard containers that stack neatly in the moving truck will reduce waste, the chance of broken items, and a waste of space on moving day.

Declutter the house

One of the best ways to reduce waste for a move is to simply own fewer household goods that will need to be moved. Decluttering the house will not only allow you to pack less but will also take a weight off your shoulders too.

You’ll notice the house will start to clear up of the things you don’t need and the packing process will make more sense as you pack the things you truly want to keep in your life. Use this as an opportunity to part with things you really don’t love or use anymore.

Have a yard sale

Lastly, a yard sale is a great opportunity to get rid of things you’ve decluttered or things you’d rather get rid of in exchange for a little extra cash and less to pack. Make sure to research some easy tips to make the most of your garage sale and you’ll love getting rid of some of those extra things you don’t want any more while bringing in some extra spending money for the move.

Make your move a little less wasteful by using these five tips for reducing moving waste.