Responsible Moving: How to Reduce Waste and Recycle When Moving House

Wednesday, 17 November 2021

Moving house is usually the time that many of us get around to spring cleaning and making the daunting decisions about what we want to keep and what we would like to throw away! However, the whole process can be extremely overwhelming!

However, we should always try to keep our environmental footprint in mind, particularly at times like these. It is easy to let the waste get out of hand and to take the easy route but there are so many user-friendly and simple strategies you can employ during the moving process that will reduce your waste.

Our biggest tip: don’t wait to the last minute! Organise your treasure from your trash before the big move. This way you are not scrambling at the last minute and drowning in decisions and rubbish!

Start with individual rooms and go slowly. The recycle bin can get full, council pick up could be a week away. It is very easy to just send unwanted household items to landfill but this is not a solution!

Here are some ideas for recycling pieces around your home!

Furniture

If the furniture is in good condition and isn’t too worn around the edges, you can always snap a few quick pics and pop it on Gumtree, Marketplace or Ebay! If you don’t want to try your hand at online selling, a garage sale is always an option! Even better, donate to a charity shop like St Vincent de Paul or Salvation Army. Give your well-loved and loyal furniture a new home before opting to send it to the tip!

However, sprucing up old furniture is always an option! See if you can get your old couches reupholstered or revamped before choosing to buy a new one! This kind of mindful living makes a massive difference to our waste output.

If it is beyond redemption, looking to a furniture recycling facility in your area.

White Goods

We direct you again to the wonders of online marketplaces! It is quick, simple and gets old and pesky appliances off your hands without too much fuss and 0 waste!

There are also plenty of repurposing and recycling centres which take old white goods and appliances. These are then cleaned, scrapped and repurposed, saving a lot of unnecessary plastic and waste ending up in landfill!

Donating to Bower Reuse and Repair Centre is an incredible environmentally friendly option as well. They are a charity committed to reducing landfill by collecting, recycling and repairing electronics and furniture!

In today’s day and age, there is no excuse to not recycle. We have every charity and service at our disposal to do the right thing. We must simply make a conscious decision to change our waste mindset and start being more conscious about our individual environmental impact.