Plastic vs. cardboard

Homeowners moving house unfortunately continue to see plastic as the most damaging material to the environment and paper based home moving equipment as the most environmentally friendly. However, when both materials are compared over a lengthy amount of time, it seems that it is in fact paper products that are the most energy zapping to produce. For example, the energy levels alone involved in the production of the paper are sky high with the enormous quantities of power required.

Besides the idea that cardboard is not as durable as you may think, most cardboard boxes after wear and tear begin creating the greenhouse gas methane in their breakdown processes once they end up at the local authority landfill. However, cardboard boxes are also good for recycling and do not necessarily need to be dumped after use. Many things can be made from cardboard and to be more eco-friendly the material becomes a cheap material for the construction of a range of products, most popular via craft with children.

If craft isn’t really your thing, there are many more eco-friendly and reusable alternatives to cardboard boxes which can potentially last a lifetime. Plastic crates and plastic boxes provide the chance for a lifetime of recyclability as most are made of a hard wearing plastic and will only take on the odd scratch or crack compared to other material under hard conditions. Particularly when moving house, plastic boxes save a lot for your budget, once they are bought, they are bought and there’s no need for the hassle of last minute contacting of family for spare boxes sorting out repairs after being stuck in a damp garage for a few months.

When it comes to comparing both plastic and cardboard there are many advantages and disadvantages on each side. For example although plastic boxes can be stored for a long time without any real damage, they also are more durable when they are not of the folding style, so therefore they take up much more room than a cardboard box which can be simply folded away until next needed. Both boxes come in a range of sizes; however plastic boxes also come in an array of colours too, which may be more useful when moving house as you can colour co-ordinate each box to each room of your house. E.g. yellow – living room.

If your on a budget, cardboard is most definitely the inexpensive option, however if you are searching for a more eco-friendly and durable option, its best to stick too plastic.