Talking trash

Americans just can’t sit still. On average, we’ll move at least 16 times during our lifetime, which means a hellish amount of packing and sweating—and a whole lot of wasted boxes and other packing materials.

One ton of recycled boxes saves 17 trees (according to the University of Colorado at Boulder’s recycling program), so unlike, say, thrift-store underwear, previously used boxes are a wise choice.

Luckily, there are a slew of options to consider before and after your move. Craigslist.org advertises secondhand boxes and materials in its FOR SALE and FREE columns. Another option is UsedCardboardBoxes.com, a site that sells used boxes on the cheap. “Save time, save money, save trees,” urges its homepage, with a note about donating TK percentage of the proceeds to TreePeople.com, a company that trains and supports communities with the planting of and caring for trees. It’s also got handy moving sections that’ll tally up how many boxes you’ll need based on your apartment’s size.

Think outside the cardboard box: Check out packing companies that specialize in green containers like Earth Friendly Moving (earthfriendlymoving.com), which provides environmentally safe alternatives to cardboard, petroleum-based bubble wrap and Styrofoam. Its boxes are made from recycled colored glass, recycled cubes are made of waste that’s a by-product of paper manufacturing and its protective packing material is recycled paper.

After the last box has been unpacked, you can check out chicagorecycling.org to find your local recycling drop-off site, and loosefillpackaging.com for collection centers for Styrofoam peanuts and bubble wrap.

Of course, the slacker approach works, too: Check with your neighbors about their leftover packing supplies, Dumpster-dive for boxes at shopping malls or ask that friendly grocer who keeps giving you free slices of deli meat for his leftover boxes.