How to recycle the packing materials after moving from USA to Portugal

The moving process, especially a long-distance move needs a lot of packing and preparation. When you finally see your movers coming in the truck to pick up your possessions, moving doesn’t end there. Of course, they will load boxes on the truck and transport everything for further shipping to Portugal. Once you reach your new European home and the unpacking starts everything can become chaotic. Therefore, it is important to find overseas removalists before moving even starts. This way you will secure that the unpacking process has some order. In addition, creating such a list will help you follow in which order you will unpack the boxes. Finally, when the unpacking comes to an end, there will be piles and piles of boxes, bubble wrap, and other things that you need to remove from your new home. In this article, read about how to recycle packing materials.

Loads of packing supplies right after the move

As soon as the movers reach your new home, they will start taking the boxes of the moving truck. First of all, do not let them just put the boxes anywhere. Since you have probably written on each box which room it belongs to, this way your movers should sort them out. For example, all the bedroom boxes should go straight to your bedroom. When moving to Portugal from US, there will certainly be many boxes and tons of packing materials. If you randomly start unpacking, the load that you will create on the way can very easily become problematic. Therefore, the safest way is to stick to your removal checklist to avoid any unnecessary mess. In addition, there is always a time pressure to finish everything as soon as possible. Better take your time and while unpacking start sorting packing materials immediately.

Recycle the packing materials-is this the first choice?

The process of opening moving boxes can cause miles of bubble wrap and tons of packing paper to fill in your space. In addition, if you have children and pets this can be tempting for them. Both kids and pets like to wrap and roll on the packing paper. Not to mention popping bubble wrap. Prepare yourself that they will scatter this all over the place. There are several ways to remove the packing material from your new house or apartment after the overseas relocation. The first and one of the best choices is to take them into recycling. This way you can contribute to the saving of our planet and preserving it from unnecessary loads of plastic and boxes. Therefore, taking things to the trash is not a good option. Please bear in mind that millions of tonnes of waste going to landfills.

Choosing responsible packing supplies

Even before the moving process starts you need to obtain good and packing material. Nobody wants to spend too much on the move itself. But think wisely before you go to get some packing supplies.

By 2030 all plastic packaging must be recyclable within the EU. When choosing your moving boxes and other supplies, you must make sure that these meet the standards for an international move. Aks your movers for these so-called ‘green versions of packing materials. These packing materials such as packing tubes should not be of multi-material combinations. These are not easy to recycle at all. Therefore, your movers will give you advice on which packing supplies are made of mono-material structures that can undergo recycling more easily. Some of these are biodegradable packing peanuts, mushroom-based packaging, supplies that contain organic fabrics, and so on.

Recycle the packing materials re-use them

Another reason why it is important to choose responsible packaging supplies is that you can actually reuse them after the move in several different ways. By reusing we do not just mean using them again for your next move if it ever comes. There would be plenty of things to store after the move. You can use the cardboard boxes in good condition to store your tools away for example. For the rest of the packing supplies that you do not need or which are not usable anymore, contact the local recycling center in your new city. Since you will be living in Europe, all European countries must comply with the new sustainability standards and the number of these centers is growing every day. Therefore, contact the local center and arrange to recycle the packing materials. Alternatively, you can sell or donate them through various sites and organizations.

Learn more about recycling

To know about some topic is to understand it better. One of the world’s greatest problems is pollution. But not only air pollution, but waste pollution as well. An average person produces 5kg of waste every day. After the move, standing among all those cardboard and plastics we can make it even harder. We therefore must raise awareness of the importance of recycling. Otherwise, our planet will slowly cease to exist. Therefore, let’s see how to prepare for recycling. First of all, separate the moving trash from the rest of your garbage. Then, flatten them out and tie them up t take as little space as possible. Make sure to put them in the right disposable container. Finally, check with your recycling center if they will come to pick the waste up or you will need to organize and take the waste there directly for further processing.

It is of great importance to recycle the packing materials after the move. This way we can make new products out of the old products and even make them more sustainable. By doing so, we keep our environment cleaner and reduce the waste we create every day. In addition, we can reuse the same packing supplies for different purposes: store away things, play with them, sell. Also, if some of your friends are moving, donate the packing materials to them. It can be useful on several levels. When it comes to your new home, you will easily establish order and you will feel good for doing something useful for your planet.