Eco Friendly Packing Tips for Self Storage

Packing your things for self storage doesn’t mean you have to have loads of plastic, throwaway tape, or toxic materials headed for the landfill.

As more and more people and businesses seek to reduce their carbon footprint, being greener in our packing habits is an important aspect of responsible living.

Our eco-friendly packing tips for self storage will help you keep your items safe, save money, and lessen waste, all while leaving a smaller environmental footprint.

Sustainable storage is not just recycling. It is being more clever about choosing packing materials, preparing your storage unit, and planning how you are going to be storing and retrieving items over time.

Use reusable or recyclable products.

The first step for sustainable storage is to use packing materials which are reusable, recyclable, or biodegradable.

Rather than single-use plastics, choose those cardboard boxes that are made from recycled paper. They are guaranteed to be solid, inexpensive, and can be reused over and over.

When you need to protect fragile items, do your best to avoid bubble wrap, if possible. There are a number of greener alternatives available today. Recycled paper wrap, corrugated paper, or even shredded newspapers will cushion your items just as well.

Some companies also have packing products that are compostable and which break down naturally. This will lessen the amount of waste kept in the landfills long-term.

For bigger objects, and especially furniture, where you need to protect from dust and scratches, old blankets or bedding will do the job. They prevent dust from gathering about your items and also aid in preventing scratches without adding to throwaway refuse.

Utilise What You Have In Storage

One of the easiest ways to cut down on waste in storage is to make use of things you have in the home already. Towels, bedding, jumpers and scarves can make good wrapping materials for delicate items. This saves money, reduces carbon emissions and limits the amount of packaging materials that will end up in the rubbish later.

If you are going to use existing boxes just make sure that they are clean, dry and reasonably strong. Avoid those that have been excessively damaged by too much handling, as these can collapse after a period of time, which can endanger the items stored in them.

Even where new boxes have to be purchased, it is a good plan to patronise local dealers who have a high ideal of sustainability and eco-friendly manufacturing processes.

Pack Strategically to Maximise Space

There is no question that packing carefully makes it easier on the environment. If space is used effectively storage unit maximum space is filled. It reduces the number of units required and the amount of storage footprint used and also the materials to be needed.

Work to effect this by dismantling furniture wherever possible, such as undoing bolts or removing furniture legs to get a compact form.

Smaller items can be stored in cupboards and drawers which can help save extra space.

Boxes can be stacked from heaviest or densest items upwards to the lightest.

Avoid Plastic Whenever You Can

Plastic is one of the greatest contributors to waste and pollution worldwide. Although it seems convenient, it adds greatly to our carbon footprint when it is overused in a self-storage situation and produces even more waste after the rental period is over.

If plastic is necessary, use recycled or recyclable materials and commit to using them again. Heavy-duty storage crates are worth the expense if you have something that requires storage for a longer period. They offer sturdy protection to items such as electronics or tools, which are used repeatedly for years.

Biodegradable wraps and compostable bubble packing are available which are produced with natural starches instead of petroleum-based products. The performance is just as good, but there is less expense for our environment when they are disposed of properly.

Protect Fragile Items in a Non-Synthetic Way

Fragile items such as glassware, crockery and appliances can be safely packed without the use of synthetic padding. Individual wrapping in towels, newspaper or biodegradable paper padding will add protection and not an additional pollution hazard.

Stuff clothes or torn-up cardboard into the gaps in boxes. This will prevent them from moving in transit. If you need wrapping material, reuse old rolls of bubble wrap, and do not buy new rolls.

Alternatively, use eco bubble-wrap made from recycled content. This gives equivalent protection without the waste. It is important to label all boxes carefully to avoid damage risk and the incidence of unnecessary handling.

Donate or sell what you do not need

This is one of the more effective eco-right tips for packing in self storage to reduce what needs packing in the first place.

Before you put things in storage, sort through and see what you seriously require. Donate things to charity which are not required, or sell them off online. This creates less waste and encourages a circular economy of products being reused, rather than thrown away.

Selling things before a move will also help you realise savings, and make your self storage area more effective. By reducing the contents to the possibly unnecessary clutter, you will require less packing boxes, less wrapping, and take up less space.

Be clever about packing materials

The worldwide packaging industry has a huge carbon footprint, but small changes we all can make individually can make a difference.

Go for packing which is recyclable, reclaimed if at all possible, do without plastic where possible, which all helps to lessen damage to the environment.

Eco-friendly packaging includes paper tape, compostable filler, and recycled boxes that offer the same qualities without adding to greenhouse emissions. Over the course of a year, these small eco-friendly, green conscious decisions can result in large amounts of waste being kept out of the waste stream from being dumped into landfills.

When you store belongings in self storage, consider how you will unpack at a later date. Working with biodegradable packing or biodegradable packing materials makes for easy cleanup when the storage is over.

Store Responsibly for Sustainable Long-term Needs

Choosing an environmentally responsible storage company can enhance your efforts.

Some self-storage companies do use renewable energy, LED lighting and materials that result in fewer emissions by usage of sustainable buildings.

Again, the sustainability of your needs doesn’t all happen just in, on, or around your units, but it also speaks to the broader aspects of how the entire facility operates. If we have facilities that work with eco-minded businesses then it brings about a more comprehensive change for not only that little self-storage sector.