6 Ways To Move House Zero Waste

I can’t believe it’s been a month since I last posted! We moved house and have been staying here since Easter. Whilst it hasn’t taken long for this place to feel like home, it has taken some time to settle in and there have been some issues to work through. I no longer have the school bus going past our house so I have to drive the kids to and from school which makes my day feel really short and has required adjustments to my routine. We were without home internet for two weeks while we waited for NBN connection, we’ve had electricity connection issues and our heating shut down for a couple of days. I also used the move as an opportunity to reassess our connection plans and contracts to make sure we are getting services suitable for us and of course there has been all the usual stuff associated with moving house like changing contact details, decluttering, cleaning, packing and unpacking. It all takes time and I’ve just been getting on with the job rather than stopping to post about it, however, I feel myself reaching some normality again these past few days. In fact, every day I wake up and think how lucky we are to be living and working in such a beautiful, peaceful place.

I’ve had a few requests to share how we moved our belongings plastic and waste free, so I am going to share with you my tried and true methods. In the twenty years since I left home, I have moved house nine times. I have done it using these six methods every single time, and I’ve always moved my own belongings with the help of family and friends. So, you can rest assured you won’t damage your belongings by forgoing bubble wrap and tape.

1. Have a think about what you have already that could be useful for packing and transporting belongings. For example, I have cane laundry baskets which are great for packing toys and other light-weight items in. I also have lots of other bags, baskets, and tubs which I used to sort and pack items.

2. Save strong boxes from local stores. You won’t need to tape the bottoms of boxes if you do this and don’t fill large boxes with heavy items. I make sure heavy items are placed in small to medium sized boxes so I can easily carry them without the risk of the bottom falling out.

3. Avoid packaging tape by folding the top flaps of the boxes so they are unable to open (you can buy biodegradable tape if you need it).

4. Borrow reusable bags and tubs from friends and family. A friend said to me “I know these are plastic but they are great for moving bedding and towels.” She was right and I gave them back to her when I was done.

5. Wrap delicates and furniture in your towels, tea towels, face washers, blankets, sheets, socks, and clothing or rags. You don’t always need to cover the whole piece of furniture, just the parts that might rub or scratch. The day we hired a truck and moved our large furniture was a busy and emotionally draining one, so I didn’t stop to take any photos unfortunately. If you don’t want to use these items to protect your valuables or you run out of them, scrunched newspaper works brilliantly.