Plastic-Free Moving Checklist
An eight-week plan for moving home with less waste. No bubble wrap, no tape mountain, no panic.
Plastic-Free Moving Checklist
A week-by-week timeline from eight weeks out to the first week in, plastic-free packing supplies, an essentials box list and cut-out box labels.
- Week-by-week timeline from eight weeks out to the first week in
- Plastic-free packing supplies list
- Open-first essentials box list and cut-out box labels
Moving is the moment most households throw away the most and buy the most packaging. It does not have to be. Towels wrap plates. Suitcases carry books. Boxes come from the shop down the road and go back to someone else afterwards.
The timeline starts eight weeks out with decluttering, because the cheapest thing to move is the thing you do not. By moving day the list is short: walk through, photograph the meters, keep the documents with you.
What is inside
- Timeline: eight weeks out to the first week in, with three jobs per stage
- Pack without plastic: used boxes, suitcases and baskets you own, towels as padding, paper instead of bubble wrap, paper tape, reusable crates
- Essentials box: the twenty things to keep with you for the first night
- Eight box labels with room, box number, fragile, open first and contents
Who it is for
Anyone with a moving date in the diary who wants a plan on one page and would rather not buy a roll of bubble wrap the length of the street.
How to use it
- Print the timeline and put it where the whole household sees it. Tick as you go.
- Pack rarely used rooms first. Label every box on two sides with the cut-out labels.
- Pack the essentials box last and carry it yourself. Open it first.
FAQ
Questions about this printable
Where do I get used boxes?
Supermarkets, off-licences and bookshops break down boxes daily and will often save them if you ask. Local groups such as Buy Nothing and Freecycle usually have someone who has just moved. Some movers rent reusable crates, which is the least waste of all.
What about fragile things without bubble wrap?
Towels, t-shirts and tea towels wrap plates and glasses well; plates travel best standing on edge in a small, firmly packed box. Newspaper or packing paper fills the gaps. The supplies page covers it.
Is eight weeks realistic?
It is comfortable. With less notice, start at the week you are on and skip the earlier stages; decluttering and sourcing boxes are the two to keep if you can.
