5 ways you can move house without creating landfill waste
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It’s all go at Zero Waste towers at the moment!
What with Little Miss Green checking out universities to go to and Grandma and Granddad Green downsizing to a smaller home, I’ve been thinking about some of the ways we can move house without creating landfill.
Donate to charity
One of the best ways to get rid of clothes that no longer fit, ornaments that make a house a home, books, kitchenware and even large items of furniture is to donate to charity.
And it doesn’t have to mean endless trips in the car, either!
Some charities will arrange to collect your items in a van if you contact them beforehand and give them an idea of what you have to offer. Find our nearest charity shop here.
Give to family
With personal items such as jewellery, photographs and artwork, this can be a great time to let family members rehome items.
I’ve recently given space to some new pictures for my walls, thanks to my Mum and Dad’s imminent house move. And photographs have been shared out between family members and friends.
It’s a great excuse to take a trip down memory lane!
Give it away
Many items we have are not worth anything financially, but they are too good to throw away because they have a lot of life left in them. Furniture, children’s toys, bikes and garden tools are examples.
Sites like Freecycle, Freegle or even Facebook local noticeboards are a great place to give things away you no longer want.They help connect people with stuff to give away, with people who want the items!
When it gets too much
Perhaps you need to move quickly or don’t have the resources to move things around. In that case you might need to hire a skip. Before you do so, check the company’s recycling policy. A couple of decades ago, anything picked up in a skip was dumped in landfill, but times have changed.
An increased awareness about risks to the environment means more and more companies these days operate strict recycling policies. For example, Perth bins, aim to minimise landfill through waste resource recovery, re-marketing and landfill avoidance.
Bin etiquette
Imagine it’s moving home day, but you’ve got half filled recycling bins – and there’s no collection for five days. What’s the best thing to do? You don’t want to visit the recycling centre on the day you’re moving house – there’s way too many things to think about, but neither do you want to leave a pile of recycling for the new residents!
You could ask the new residents, via the estate agent, whether they mind a small amount of things left, ask a neighbour if you can pop your recycling into their bins for that week or, if you’re a real waste warrior, take the recyclables with you, to dispose of in your new property.
Bonus tips
For keeping delicate items safe in transit, here are 5 Zero Waste tips for reusing boxes, newspapers, textiles and even garden twine!
What about you – how have you moved home whilst minimising landfill waste – is a Zero Waste house move possible?
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What a great post! Moving house can be an overwhelming process and people often end up chucking loads of things out to speed up the process. But, if you’re organised, you can have a much more environmentally friendly move. Donating to charity is a really great way to make sure you’re recycling unwanted items.