How to Reduce Food Waste Before a Move

Moving is a rather stressful process and it becomes a bit more stressful when you want to move in the most eco-friendly way possible. However, the right planning can make your eco-friendly move easier and give you a clear conscience at the same time.

One thing you will need to deal with when moving is the food you have leftover. If you want to move in the most eco-friendly way possible, you will need to reduce food waste to as close to zero waste as possible.

There are several ways to make your food waste much less, if not zero. Here are a few things to consider when moving and trying to reduce food waste during the process.

Meal Plan

About a month before moving day will arrive, start planning your meals based on what you own. Obviously, fresh foods won't last an entire month, but you likely have pantry items and frozen items you need to use up.

Start by taking a full inventory of your frozen items and pantry items. Make sure you know what you own a month before moving so you can start planning meals based on the food you already have.

Once you have your inventory list, you can start creating a meal plan to use up what you already own. Choose recipes using the ingredients you have on hand with minimal added ingredients.

Note: Be careful of recipes with ingredients you'll struggle to find in smaller quantities. If you want to make a meal requiring you to buy a new ingredient only sold in amounts higher than you really need, consider other recipes using the same ingredient.

Shop the Bulk Aisles for New Ingredients

After setting your meal plan, you will likely need to hit the grocery store for a few ingredients. However, you don't want to buy huge amounts or you'll just have a new food waste problem on your hands.

Shopping at a store with bulk aisles letting you buy only what you need is a great way to keep from creating new food waste. These stores will allow you to buy a small amount and charge based on the weight of the item, in most circumstances.

Eat the Most Perishable Items First

Moving with fresh and frozen foods isn't fun and will likely create food waste. Even if you have a big cooler filled with ice, frozen foods become a pain to move and they may not stay frozen.

Eat the most perishable items first. Start with anything found in your refrigerator and freezer. These items are most likely to spoil if you try to take them with you.

Some of the food items you can easily move with you include:

• Canned goods

• Sealed boxed goods

• Spices

• Oils, properly sealed and packed

• Condiments not requiring refrigeration

Meats, dairy products, fresh produce, frozen vegetables, fruits, and other fresh items should be eaten before moving.

Non-perishable items can also be donated if you don't want to bother moving them from one home to another.

Share Food with Friends

If you're getting close to moving day and you simply don't have enough days left to eat the 12 steaks in your freezer or the whole turkey you scored after Thanksgiving, it's time to share.

You can ask your friends if they would like any of the food you cannot eat or you can throw a dinner party and cook it up for everybody showing up. Either way, you'll be able to use up food without throwing it out and letting it go to waste.

Use these tips to help reduce your food waste. If you must move with food, make sure you properly pack the items you will be moving and make sure they make it into your new home first, especially if they are perishable items.

Top 3 Traits of a Green Moving Company

When it's time to move, it's not time to ignore your eco-friendly lifestyle. Instead, it's time to find a green moving company and embrace the ability to move in an eco-friendly way. Here are three traits you will find with any good green moving company.

1 - The Moving Trucks

The first place to start when looking for a green moving company is the transport they offer. Bio-diesel trucks are a good option or for a long-distance move companies using larger trucks with the ability to move multiple clients at the same time is a good practice.

The trucks provided by a moving company are a dead give-away and will show you if they are a green moving company or not. Look for bio-diesel trucks, hybrid trucks, or any other type of truck designed to use less fuel.

2 - Reusable Box Rentals

While cardboard boxes can be recycled, they are not the greenest solution for packing. The best green moving companies offer reusable moving boxes you can rent. Usually, these are plastic bins, which protect your belongings far better than cardboard and they are eco-friendly.

Cardboard will become vulnerable in bad weather or under too much weight. Reusable plastic moving boxes are designed to hold more weight and they protect your belongings even in rain.

When a moving company offers reusable box rentals, they are likely an eco-friendly choice. The best green moving companies will offer only eco-friendly options for packing your belongings.

3 - Fewer Packing Supplies

Since green moving companies offer reusable boxes made of plastic, you won't need nearly as many packing supplies. These companies don't always offer any moving supplies that cannot be recycled, which includes many of the traditional options.

The plastic boxes you can rent will seal without tape and protect your things far better than cardboard. You can even use your own towels and blankets to help make your packing supplies even more eco-friendly.

Some green moving companies will offer Oxo-biodegradable bubble wrap and biodegradable foam peanuts for packing. These packing supplies are far more eco-friendly than the supplies sold by most moving companies.

These three traits are pretty common with truly green moving companies and they provide plenty of benefits. When you choose a green moving company in Chicago for your move, you'll benefit in many ways including:

• No need to break down cardboard boxes or find a place to recycle them

• More social responsibility throughout your move

• Ability to utilize green storage, if necessary

• Connections to the local donation/recycling sites

• Better protection for your items

• And more!

A green moving company will help you gain peace of mind as you prepare to make your move to Chicago as eco-friendly as possible. There are several other things you can do on your end to make your move more eco-friendly. However, choosing the right green moving company is a huge start.

Not all moving companies are created equal. Make sure you research the choices available to you and ask questions about their business practices. An eco-friendly moving company will make a difference, even if you're just moving a few miles away.