GallonDaily’s editor recently needed to help move an elderly family member from a small apartment to an even smaller apartment. We decided to use plastic reusable tote boxes instead of the more common cardboard boxes. Packing into plastic boxes was easier, the piles of boxes were more stable and less likely to fall over, the household goods were better protected from crushing, and fewer boxes were needed in a do-it-oneself move because boxes could easily be returned from the new location to the old location for refilling. At the end of the exercise some full boxes went to storage, where they provide much better protection for the contents from moisture, water, and collapse of a pile of boxes than would cardboard boxes. The remaining empty boxes went to a charity shop where they were much appreciated.

Even the cost was reasonable. The plastic boxes were purchased from a big box store where they were on sale. We estimate that the total cost of boxes was not much greater than the cost of single use cardboard boxes from a moving or truck rental company.

Now we have learned of several companies in Canada that rent reusable moving boxes. At Frogbox in Toronto, 25 boxes are $79 for one week, with discounts for more boxes and more weeks. Remember that if the old and the new places are sufficiently close together you can easily make several round trips and hence reduce the number of boxes needed. It is amazing how much easier and quicker it is to pack a plastic box than a cardboard box. With the plastic box the contents are more likely to be sure even if the packing is a bit sloppy. At saynotoboxes.com 25 boxes plus two more specialized containers and a dolly are $165 for 30 days rental.

It is worth checking whether reusable box rentals are available in your area. We suggest Googling something like “green moving boxes Canada”.