A series that runs every Tuesday, where I ask questions unrelated to the environment, fair trade, or local politics that I’ve been wondering about but haven’t been able to google the answers to. Any advice is appreciated.
A new moving company, RecoPack, is about to launch. The premise: RecoPack’ll offer recycled ecological packaging.
That means that movers’ll be able to rent reusable boxes, instead of buying rather expensive cardboard boxes from UHaul or the like.
The cost: a buck a box a week.
I tend to think that if one’s moving, one might plan ahead to get free cardboard boxes from Trader Joe’s, Wild Oats, or one of the other grocery stores. Still, despite the fact that I personally feel I move a lot, I dunno how most Angelenos might feel about this RecoPack thing.
Sadly, RecoPack’s website’s not all together, so I’m not sure what materials they use to make their reusable boxes.
Regardless, what I’m wondering is — Is RecoPack a service that you would use as an environmentalist? Would you rent boxes for a buck a week? Yes? No?
And if not, what’s your fave moving container, and how do you get it?
I doubt RecoPack is a service that’ll meet much success. At least when I move, about 50% of the boxes are ready to get recycled as raw materials, but not actual boxes.
UsedCardboardBoxes.com has a much better business model – they sell you boxes, and buy them back. I.e. if you destroy the boxes, you take the loss. (Of course, their website is not up to date either – they mumble about a major upgrade. So I’ve got no idea if they’re actually still in business…)
Comment by Robert 'Groby' Blum — August 1, 2006 @ 5:19 am
the better solution might be throw out or donate stuff each time you move. it is amazing how much stuff one accumulates over time!
last time i made a big move i threw out ca 5 moving boxes of paper (old exams, lecture notes, paper clippings, print-outs etc that all went into the paper recycling bins). And sold ca 2m of books to a (used) book store. i filled a ca 3 square meter room full with stuff snowboard, slalom skies, lamps, chairs etc etc) which i donated to charity. I also sold some stuff i could not move with me (bed, huge stereo, shelves). also my sister and parents got a lot of stuff (sofa, TV, more shelves, dining table etc). still i ended up with ca 20+ boxes which all are in storage.
the mover i hired (in sweden) also had this sell and re-buy boxes deal. so i am bit surprised that a company would focus only only doing that when UHaul and similar so easily also could do that…
if a mover wants to market themselves as eco-friendly they should look under the hood, and use engines that run on renewable energy!
of course rental or selling cardboard boxes of recycled or FSC paper is a part of that.
After all, the cost of the boxes is miniscule compared to cost of moving…
Comment by Johan — August 1, 2006 @ 8:29 am
Siel, this is a great compendium of advice on “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”.
As for the “Reduce” part we all might consider just reducing the sheer amount stuff we collect & hold on to. If you don’t got it, you won’t need to move it or sell it (or store it, clean it, etc).
Also, as Joel Makower points out in this review of three books on consumerism, _sometimes_ there can actually be a inverse relationship between stuff and happiness, where the more crap you have the less you enjoy not only it, but the people around you, too.
http://makower.typepad.com/joel_makower/2006/06/save_the_buyosp.html
Comment by Rodney North — August 1, 2006 @ 9:34 am
A new moving company, RecoPack, is about to launch. The premise: RecoPack’ll offer recycled ecological packaging.
That means that movers’ll be able to rent reusable boxes, instead of buying rather expensive cardboard boxes from UHaul or the like.
I have to shake my head at america that someone has to sell re used boxes. Really boggles the mind.
here you would just go into your local shop and ask for a few of the empty boxes they get stuff in and they will let you take them away for free.
Comment by simon — August 1, 2006 @ 12:49 pm
i used usedcardboardboxes.com last time we moved- too bad website is down, bc worked just fine. if i had to do it again, i would consider their other option, renting their rubbermaid bins. then i gave them all away for re-use on craigslist.
buying/selling them used via usedcardboardboxes.com or giving/getting them off craigslist (for free) gets 2-3 more life cycles out of them, rather than if everyone just got them free from a shop and recycled them afterwards.
Comment by lag2 — August 1, 2006 @ 9:04 pm
I do agree that moving is the best time to take a life inventory and donate/sell/chuck stuff you don’t truly need.
As for renting boxes? I moved a lot in college and found that by going to the local mall I could get a good deal of sturdy shipping boxes for free. When I was done with them I’d pass them along to friends who were moving as well. If it was not ideal for moving, packing, or storing, it got recycled, or sometimes used as a cutting mat first… then recycled (i was an art major)
I also like reusable tubs. They’re good for storing out of season clothes and great for moving since they are pretty weather proof. They also stack well.
Comment by Alotta Errata — August 2, 2006 @ 5:21 am
I have friends who actually make fun of me when they help me move cuz I just don’t have much stuff. I have no livingroom furniture (couch, etc), for ex.
My strategy’s to just buy stuff that you 1) LOVE and 2) plan to use a lot. I know so many women who’ve bought so much stuff “on sale” and worn them only once, if ever. Much better to buy something full price, but that you know you’ll get pleasure and your money’s worth out of.
Comment by Siel — August 2, 2006 @ 7:54 pm
Hi everyone!
We just came across this posting and wanted to introduce ourselves and say that after 120 days of operation ( January 9th 2007 until today May 2nd), earth friendly moving has completed over 5,400 deliveries of the Recopack.
The premise is very simple- we rent the Recopack moving box in 5 sizes, for a buck a box a week,, delivered direct to your door on veggie oil powered delivery trucks… and each time we rent a 100 Recopacks, we remove over 500 pounds of trash from the landfills and prevent over 250 pounds of cardboard from entering the landfills!
I also wanted to emphasize that anyone who is part of the solution is on our team and we support! Anytime we can reduce and reuse- we extend the life of products- but cardboard has always been a paper based product and when you cut trees down to make a disposable product that is used, at most 2 times, the simple fact is that it’s a vicious cycle of ecological and environmental destruction! Is it worth the energy to extend the life of a disposable product that only lasts 2 times when we have a real solution?
The Recopack is made from hard to recycle plastic trash, is used over 400 times and 98% of the material is remade into another Recopack- so it’s a cradle to cradle product!
Every time we rent a 100 Recopacks, we save three trees from being converted into cardboard boxes! So it’s detox for our landfills and it will save you time, money and Earth.
The intent for earth friendly moving has always been to provide America with an alternative to the cardboard box and traditional packing and moving… I think that based on over 134 media articles in our first 100 days, 5,400 deliveries and counting- the public has been waiting for a change and we are here to give it to them!
Think about it-Without trees, we’re all fish out of water.
Please feel free to visit our website and leave us a comment!
http://www.earthfriendlymoving.com
Thanks!
Spencer Brown founder of Earth friendly moving and the inventor of the Recopack!
Comment by Spencer Brown — May 2, 2007 @ 3:39 pm
Hey Spencer — Good to hear Recopack’s movin’ things along!
I hear ya with the disposability of cardboard boxes — but this seems somewhat less applicable if you’re rescuing cardboard boxes that would be thrown away anyway from grocery stores, no?
That’s not to say Recopack isn’t a viable option, however, to dumpster diving for boxes :) What we need to do is get everything — including all the stuff that goes to grocery stores — shipped in Recopacks! Kind of a bigger project though :P
Comment by Siel — May 2, 2007 @ 6:52 pm