Moving Houses: Zero Waste Style

Moving is a pain. You gotta move your life from one place to another. Binging everything with you usually isn’t realistic, especially if you are moving to a new state. If you have fewer possessions, then this becomes easier. For the most part, there are going to be things left behind. However, it’s totally possible to do this zero waste, and that’s where friends come in.

In the past couple of years, I’ve had multiple friends contact me about taking stuff they couldn’t take with them when they were moving across the country. They knew they had their ole pal Freddy to help.

Last week, I helped my friend (author of the ish project – a blog tackling environmental issues) avoid throwing out tons of things in a landfill. She was pressed for time, would be driving across the country in a sedan, and couldn’t take everything with her. I was able to get several free things & food, make her some money, make myself some money, and donate the rest – all while avoiding a landfill. An all-around winning situation.

On her behalf, I was able to sell: a bike, a dog trailer, camping equipment, clothes, a paper shredder, yoga mats, and more. She posted on craigslist a collection of free items that would have been a lot harder to sell. An amazing woman came and picked it up for friends of hers who are homeless. I kept a few “new” clothes for myself plus a sleeping bag. Best of all, I got tons of food, probably enough to last me 2-3 weeks.

Another time, I helped clear out my friend and his two roommate’s apartment. Two years later, I’m still using their detergent. They had loads of food they couldn’t fit in their car or bring on the plane. I walked away with three weeks’ worth of food, including three tubs of oatmeal. The fact that they knew they were moving but didn’t coordinate how much oatmeal they had as a collective baffled me. Keeping an inventory of what you have is crucial! On top of that, they had a ton of furniture, video games, and miscellaneous items I was able to sell or use for myself. Again, zero waste.

These are two examples. It’s happened several times over the past few years. Of course, I enjoy it for the food and things I get plus the money I make. But even more so, the people moving feel really good about not throwing all of this stuff in the trash (not to mention the money they make). 

With that said, here are my top tips for making moving a zero-waste experience:

1. Start the moving process two months out. Allow enough time to sell or get rid of the items you aren’t bringing with you. This will also help you avoid stress. If you only have a couple of chairs on for a few weeks, so be it.

2. Closely monitor your food stock. In particular, pay attention to your dry, non-perishable food. Avoid buying any non-essential specialty items or dry goods. You’ll always have some perishable items like produce, but in the meantime, it will make the move easier if you don’t overstock dry goods. Prioritize and eat based on what’s going bad first.

3. If you’re not bringing furniture or miscellaneous stuff with you, start listing those items on Craigslist, OfferUp, or any other marketplace. 

4. If these don’t sell, slowly lower the price. If they still won’t sell, set the price to free. Watch your possessions disappear.

5. Run through your clothes. Are there any you don’t want or haven’t worn in the last year? Sell them. eBay is the go-to for clothes. Keep your auctions going for a few weeks if they don’t sell after the first week.

6. Invite your money-saving/adventure-seeking friends to take a look at what you have. Are there clothes, furniture, food, etc they would want? Having a friend that you know will use something is better than donating it, where its future use is uncertain.

7. Have miscellaneous things you can’t sell or friends don’t want? Craigslist free section is your best bet.

8. A great alternative would be finding a friend who will sell for you. You can give them loads of free food too. You can also arrange to have them sell your items and split the profits. This is what I’ve done for a few friends.

9. Lastly, donate to a thrift store, homeless shelter, or any other facility that accepts donations.

• Important note: do not donate things that are broken. Nobody wants those. That will be a waste of time for these facilities to have to sort through.

• Second important note: do not donate food items that are already open as they cannot be handed out. This is where your friends and Craigslist will help you out.

Any other ideas you have? Please leave a comment and let me know!