We’ve all had the experience of preparing to move and realizing that we somehow, seemingly without our knowledge, have far more than we thought. No matter how tied we are to a Marie Kondo way of living, preparing to move is almost inevitably an act of revelation of possession. Now, what do you do with all this stuff and how do you reduce the environmental impact of getting rid of it? Whether you find yourself leaving a studio apartment or a sizable home, here are some tips and resources to make your move a little kinder to the world. 

We are passionate about sustainability in all aspects of the life cycle of real estate, and that includes the shift from one home to another. For many, moving is the equivalent of an excuse to purge. A quick Google search will yield dozens of lists of what you should be tossing when you move, and articles advocating for clearing out your closets when you buy or rent a new home. While purging is amazing from a human perspective, it can be hard on the Earth. All of the things we dump and destroy need to go somewhere. Getting rid of stuff is awesome, but wouldn’t you like to do it in a way that lessens your impact on the planet, and, in some cases, might even help others?

For a more sustainable move, consider a two-pronged approach:

• First, how can you make the move itself as low-impact as possible? From moving materials to new initiatives in moving companies, there are great options to make your physical move greener and greater.
• Then, consider where the purged items will go. Below, you will find a list of local resources to help you recycle and donate many items common to the moving process. Between these two categories of consideration, the preparing and movement of your things, and the productive purging and recycling of your discarded stuff, you may be able to make your move as sustainable as it is exciting. 

1. The Move

Moving companies: Companies like Gentle Giant use electric vehicles, biodegradable packing materials, and even collect mattresses and boxsprings for recycling. They sell reused packing materials and partner with sustainable business initiatives, working to continue making their business sustainable in operations and supply chains. Other companies are investing in trucks running on biodiesel, another more sustainable fuel for transportation. 

Greener packaging solutions: One of the best ways you can make your move sustainable is at the packing stage. Investing in reusable bins and containers, or re-using cardboard boxes discarded by liquor stores (an age-old moving trick) is not only greener but can also be thriftier in the long run, as plastic bins can be useful storage containers. You can look to companies like Philly Blue Bins or even go to a local buy nothing group or scour Freecycle for bins used by past movers. That way, if you don’t need to use them again for anything, you are already set up to pass them along to the next sustainably minded mover. And of course, as you might already know, Solo Realty Company Recycling bins make excellent storage containers for moving, or even just for organizing your existing space! 

2. A Planet-Positive Purge: How To Donate or Recycle

Miscellaneous Items and Cookware

One of our favorite organizations for donating home goods like cookware (and, frankly, so much more) is Philly Aids Thrift. In operation since 2005, they accept donations seven days a week, and very little if anything is ever turned away. Beloved by everyone from low-income shoppers to thrift shop enthusiasts, you may well be sorely tempted to shop after you donate. You can also drop off donations at Circle Thrift in Fishtown or post the items in your local buy nothing group to offer the items to people in your neighborhood.

Furniture

We all love a furniture upgrade, but that means letting go of beloved items that may still be able to serve someone else well. Organizations like The Philadelphia Furniture Bank and Habitat for Humanity Restore are wonderful places to give furniture that still has plenty of use left. Most of these organizations will even pick your stuff up if you schedule it, making the moving day much easier with fewer items to move or haul off to the landfill. 

Of course, there are also pieces of furniture that have given all they can provide, left it all on the field, and now, after years of human and perhaps even pet abuse, are no longer usable items. Rego, an organization we’ve partnered with can help. As a company that recycles furniture, they will take items that are no longer of human use and find ways to reuse the materials or dispose of them in more sustainable ways than simply dumping them in the trash. While you do pay a fee for pick up and recycling, you’d have to pay to dispose of larger items anyway, and it’s worth it to know your furniture is being recycled responsibly. 

Building Materials, Craft and Gardening Supplies

The Resource Exchange is an incredible resource and an amazing place to donate all kinds of things you might think have no possible home but inside a landfill. Used by theater professionals, builders, and crafty creatives, among others, it is a wonderful place to donate craft materials, textiles, building materials, garden supplies, office materials, and even some furniture and décor items. Check out their site for their full list of accepted materials, but if you have something you think no one might want, check out The Resource Exchange, it well may surprise you.

If you happen to have a large amount of unused textiles, The Resource Exchange might also be a good place for those, or consider making an appointment at FabScrap Philadelphia, which also might be able to receive, re-sell, and recycle larger amounts of textile waste.

Food and Perishable Items

Food can be one of the hardest things to figure out how to donate. While these are much needed, food waste is a huge issue and while you might be able to compost some of your food, using, for example, Bennett Compost, a company Solo Real Estate is proud to partner with, moving often reveals a lot of perfectly edible dry and canned goods that you may not want to bring with you to your new home.

Luckily, the rise of Food Pantries in Philadelphia has provided many wonderful spaces for your food to become someone’s next meal. Philabundance, and The Philadelphia Share Food Program, are both places where you can donate food. Even if you aren’t moving, these are great resources to prevent food waste and help feed the hungry.

Bedding/Towels

While some thrift stores will take these to resell, you can also donate your old bedding to animal shelters, which use these items in crates, cages, and pens for animals to make them comfortable as they wait to go to their forever homes. PAWS, accepts sheets and towels at the Grey’s Ferry Location, and ACCT Philadelphia, as well as The Humane Society of Pennsylvania, need sheets, towels, blankets, and comforters. They like them gently used, so for your stuff in its worst condition, consider some of the clothing recycling options below, many of which will also take linens. 

Clothing

Thrift Store Donations

Most thrift stores and some vintage stores will accept old clothing as long as it isn’t too torn or stained to reuse. However, the rise of fast fashion companies means that many fast fashion items have saturated the thrift market, meaning a lot of the things that are donated ultimately end up in landfills. 

Philly Aids Thrift is our long-time favorite but here are some other wonderful thrift stores accepting clothing donations all over Philadelphia, like Liberty Thrift Stores and The Wardrobe, an organization that specifically works to help people experiencing clothing insecurity. 

Recycling Synthetic Materials

If you have a lot of fast fashion items made of non-natural materials like nylon, polyester, or acrylic, you might want to consider recycling them rather than donating them to ensure they have some future use as a recycled material. 

You can recycle any pair of jeans from any company at a nearby Madewell, where they turn your denim into home insulation and give you a discount for future purchases when you do! Girlfriend Collective, allows you to recycle clothing for discounts on their products, and Trashie, a take-back bag service, offers discounts on products as credit for bags you fill with clothing, even if it is torn or stained. Do note that Trashie’s take-back bags cost money, but they can be a wonderful way to recycle clothing that otherwise would go directly into the trash. 

Locally, the City of Philadelphia has partnered with Retrivr, which takes clothing in any condition, as well as a host of other things including electronics and shoes. This company will also pick up your stuff, so you can recycle it from the comfort of your own home, whether it is a new one or a soon-to-be former home!

Appliances and Electronics 

Retrievr will also take and recycle your old electronics but consider taking yours to PAR (People Advancing Regeneration) Recycle Works, an organization that provides transitional employment for people returning from prison. The mission of this company is regenerative in all ways, serving its employees and the act of recycling itself. 

Beds: Mattresses and Boxsprings

As you probably know, it is no small feat to get rid of mattresses and box springs. There are specifications handed down from the city about how to even put them out for trash hauling, i.e. how they have to be wrapped in plastic just to get them taken to the landfill! Luckily, companies Gentle Giant Moving, featured above, will take and recycle your mattress if you use them as movers. Companies like Bedrworld will also pick up and recycle or donate, depending on the condition, your mattress, and your box spring. Like Rego, you do pay a fee for this service, but it is a small price to pay for responsible and earth-friendly disposal! 

Books

Books seem like one of those things that are easy to find homes for, among interested friends, in boxes on the street, and even in thrift stores. But as anyone with a lot of books to give quickly finds, fewer friends are interested than one might think, books on the sidewalk often end up in landfills, and the same goes for thrift stores, which are over-saturated with donations.

Donating your books to Book Corner, run by Friends of the Free Library is a chance to support the Philadelphia Free Library, and be sure your books are going to a place that actually will use them. This organization re-sells books to support the Library and accepts donations by appointment. Giovanni’s Room, a Philadelphia institution, also accepts book donations, through their partnership with Philly Aids Thrift.

For children’s books, organizations like BookSmiles, Cradles to Crayons, and Ohaat, are all wonderful options to pass on beloved books to future young readers and their families. 

Interested in learning other ways you can help reduce your environmental footprint? Check out our article on Four Ways to Minimize your Waste Footprint in Philadelphia or our list on 5 Things Philly Renters can do for the Environment.