A 2013 study by Yale University found that 97% of all scientists believed climate change was happening and it was caused by human activity and behaviour. With such resounding consensus in the scientific community, more and more people are becoming environmentally conscious with any action they take. Whether those actions involve purchasing electric or hybrid cars, or trading in your 4×4 for a bicycle when it comes to commuting to work – whatever the task, human behaviour is changing as it is increasingly influenced by a new green conscious. Moving house is a task that doesn’t – and shouldn’t – escape environmentally scrutiny. If you’ve decided to move homes recently, here are a few tips in order to make the move be as eco-friendly as it possibly can.

The first thing you have to consider when you know your move-out date for your soon-to-be old property and your move-in date for your new one is how you are going to transport everything you own from one property to the other. There are a variety of Waterloo removal services at your feet: hiring out a traditional Waterloo removal firm; hiring out a Man and Van Waterloo company; or hiring a vehicle that you load up and drive yourself. What is more environmentally friendly will largely depend on your individual circumstances. What is important is to use a vehicle that is big enough to fit all your items in with one go. If you only have to make one trip with all your possessions from your old residence to your new one, you will burn less petrol than you would if you had to make multiple trips. But what is also important is that you do not use a vehicle that is needlessly big. Bigger vehicles use more petrol simply because they are heavier. The optimal action for someone with a green conscious would be to hire a vehicle that is just the right size. Think of yourself as goldilocks when it comes to hiring out a service to help you transport all your worldly possessions you’ve accumulated over the years.

The next thing you should turn your mind to after knowing when you are planning to move-in is packing. Different packing materials are more eco-friendly than others. For example, cardboard boxes are much more environmentally friendly than plastic containers because they are that much easier to recycle. However, if you can see yourself reusing plastic containers, then by all means you can use them – reusing can be just as environmentally friendly as recycling. Bubble-wrap is the perfect packing material as it is super-fun, as well as reusable and recyclable. If you can’t face sourcing your own packing materials, or just aren’t really sure which ones are more environmentally friendly than others, eco-packing companies exist online that will send you environmentally packing materials straight to your door. Although this will cost a little extra, it will ensure that – for the packing side anyway – that your move is as environmentally friendly as possible.

Packing and cleaning come in tandem – you have to pack everything up and make sure everything you pack is clean, as well as cleaning your home so it’s presentable for the new owner or tenant. Like packing materials, some cleaning products are more environmentally friendly than others. Aerosols – such as air fresheners – are particularly bad for the environment. They create holes in the ozone layer, which in turn causes the temperature of the world to increase. To find out cleaning materials are more environmentally friendly than others, get yourself online to do some research. Some product will say on the label how environmentally friendly they are.