Eco-Friendly Moving Guide

August approaches with the reminder that student move in is on its way! U-M residence halls and off campus neighborhoods will be welcoming back thousands of students along with their overstuffed boxes and suitcases.

Packing and moving in and out can produce a lot of waste from the things left behind to the packing materials used to protect breakables. So whether you are moving into the dorms or between leases, this moving guide will help you reduce waste and divert waste from landfills!

Planning Ahead

Instead of waiting to pack the night before, sort through your belongings a few weeks in advance to figure out exactly what you’ll be bringing with you. Organize the items that didn’t make the cut so that they can be donated, recycled or properly disposed. Find out where you can dispose medications, harsh cleaning products, and unwanted electronics in your town. These items can release harmful chemicals into the environment if they are flushed down the drain or placed in landfills.

Try not to go grocery shopping the week before you move. Instead, use up anything fresh in your refrigerator and eat up all of your frozen veggies. This will help you reduce the amount of food waste you’ll throw out come moving day. If you can’t eat everything up, bring it with you or put it in the compost bin!

Packing

Image by Ashley Poskin
via apartmenttherapy.com

Coordinate with friends, family, or local businesses to find out if they have spare cardboard boxes for you to reuse and pack your belongings in.

Before you begin stuffing boxes with newspaper, consider using linens, towels, rags, or even socks to protect breakables during the move. When you run out of reusable packing materials, take advantage of newspapers and old school work that can be recycled at your new place. It’s best to avoid materials like packing peanuts made from styrofoam because they are often not recyclable. Go to www.recycleannarbor.org if you’re moving to a place off campus to find out what materials can be recycled.

Reduce the number of cardboard boxes and save space by packing clothing in laundry baskets and suitcases. To make moving clothes into your new closet even easier, just twist a rubber band around the hooks of your hangers and move the clothes in a cluster- no packing materials necessary and you won't have to spend time rehanging every shirt!

Move In

Congratulations! You’ve successfully moved all of your stuff into your new place. Before you settle back into college life though, make sure to collapse and recycle cardboard boxes and plastics. You may also want to keep the cardboard boxes around for your next move or use them as a collection bin for future recyclables.

If you’ve just moved into a residence hall, follow your hall’s directions for how to take care of cardboard, bubble wrap, styrofoam, and packing peanuts. You can find more information about where/how to dispose of packing materials in the residence halls here.