The Real Numbers Behind the Cardboard vs Plastic Debate

The math really says it all.

It's really easy to simply state that plastic moving boxes are more environmentally friendly, easier to stack and generally better than cardboard. Everyone says so. But where is the real, measureable data that makes that statement true? 

The shocking answer is, there are no studies published, online, that run the numbers that definitively determine that using plastic moving boxes are more eco-friendly than cardboard.

Until now.

We take the environmental issue of moving very seriously here at BungoBox Canada. So seriously, in fact, that we have spent a great deal of time researching (and doing lots of really tough math) to give you the straight goods on why plastic trumps cardboard, everytime.

According to movingboxdelivery.com it requires about 47 boxes, of varrying sizes, to move a 3 bedroom home. Since an average box (16" x 12" x 12") weighs approximately 7oz when empty, we can determine that 47 of those 7 oz boxes would have a total weight of 329oz - or 10kg.

The website Ecofx.org states that 10kg of paper products require C02 emissions of 48kg and the loss of habitat of 37 square metres.

37 square metres really isn't a lot of habitat. It's only about 400 square feet or 20% of the inside of a 2,000 square foot home. 

However, if you consider that in 2006 Statistics Canada reported that 14% (or 4,363,000 family units) of Canada's population moved house between 2005 and 2006 that 37 square metres becomes a much larger issue.

If each Canadian on the move used cardboard boxes for their move, moving Canadians would account for 39,890 acres of lost habitat. PER YEAR!

That's an area equivalent to approximately 47 Central Parks or 40 Stanley Parks, the state of Florida or the country of Liechtenstein! All for one year's worth of moving in Canada. In 10 years Canadians could destroy habitat larger than the size of the entire city of Toronto. (Toronto is approx. 255,000 acres)

These numbers do not take into account the re-use of cardboard for moving and we do allow that many people make the effort to reuse boxes. However, many of the boxes that are obtained from grocery stores etc are waxed to protect them from dampness during transport and those are not recyclable and are, therefore, considerably more damaging to our environment. 

By comparisson, BungoBoxes can be used again and again and again. In fact, the life of a BungoBox has yet to be determined since we haven't broken any yet. 

There are some out there who argue that cardboard is a recylable material and that's true....to a point. Cardboard is recyclable yet it, along with other paper products, make up 30% of our landfill content. So even though it IS recyclable, it's often NOT recycled.

Finally, and this is the best part...BungoBox is cheaper than cardboard! I know right?

Remember up in the 3rd paragraph where we mention the moving box company? Well, to move a 3 bedroom home with cardboard would cost you $120 but with BungoBox Canada the same home can be moved safer and much easier with only $103! Even better? We'll throw in an extra week for free when you like our Facebook page.

So there it is. Plastic moving boxes are a much better choice for the environment, your wallet, ease of use (we bring them right to you!), your conscience and the future of the planet. 

Order your boxes today and don't forget to get your 2nd week free by liking us on Facebook! 

Chronicle Herald Heralds BungoBox Canada

Great article about BungoBox from the Chronicle Herald Business Section. Awesome! Click to read the article.

BungoBox Awards Edmonton Franchise

Orlando, Fla. (Sept. 28, 2011) - BungoBox, a plastic moving box rental company, has awarded a new BungoBox franchise in Edmonton, Alberta, bringing the total number of BungoBox franchises in Canada and the U.S. to 10. Edmonton and the surrounding area, with a population of more than 1 million, is the second-largest city in Alberta.

In April 2011, BungoBox Canada purchased the exclusive rights to develop and sell franchises throughout Canada. The first Canadian BungoBox franchise was opened in Halifax in July 2011.

Tim and Lisa Ross, Edmonton franchisees, previously owned the 27,000-square-foot Old Strathcona Antique Mall for nine years and a software development company.

“We were looking for a business that represents a new opportunity in the service industry,” Tim says. “In business, simpler is better, and at its very core, BungoBox is a simple business concept. Immediately I connected with the idea of taking one of life's most stressful events and making it easier on people.”

The couple expects to start operations in late November.

Tim, who is also a commercial pilot, says when customers hear about BungoBox, they typically have the same why-didn't-I-think-of-that reaction.

“It’s a simple concept transforming the moving industry,” says Darin McLean, co-owner of BungoBox Canada. “We expect to develop 20 franchises across Canada over the next two years, and we hope to award two more franchises before the end of the year.”

Co-founders Tom and Bob Cannon launched the franchise option in late 2010 and have awarded franchises in Florida in Gainesville, Jacksonville, South Florida, Tallahassee, Tampa, and in Atlanta, Ga; Phoenix, Ariz. and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

About BungoBox:

BungoBox is an innovative company that is transforming the traditional moving process. Committed to helping consumers save time and money with an eco-friendly alternative to cardboard boxes, BungoBox has 10 locations (nine franchise locations and one corporate location). For more information, visit www.bungobox.ca.

The Real Numbers Behind the Cardboard vs Plastic Debate

The math really says it all.

It's really easy to simply state that plastic moving boxes are more environmentally friendly, easier to stack and generally better than cardboard. Everyone says so. But where is the real, measureable data that makes that statement true? 

The shocking answer is, there are no studies published, online, that run the numbers that definitively determine that using plastic moving boxes are more eco-friendly than cardboard.

Until now.

We take the environmental issue of moving very seriously here at BungoBox Canada. So seriously, in fact, that we have spent a great deal of time researching (and doing lots of really tough math) to give you the straight goods on why plastic trumps cardboard, everytime.

According to movingboxdelivery.com it requires about 47 boxes, of varrying sizes, to move a 3 bedroom home. Since an average box (16" x 12" x 12") weighs approximately 7oz when empty, we can determine that 47 of those 7 oz boxes would have a total weight of 329oz - or 10kg.

The website Ecofx.org states that 10kg of paper products require C02 emissions of 48kg and the loss of habitat of 37 square metres.

37 square metres really isn't a lot of habitat. It's only about 400 square feet or 20% of the inside of a 2,000 square foot home. 

However, if you consider that in 2006 Statistics Canada reported that 14% (or 4,363,000 family units) of Canada's population moved house between 2005 and 2006 that 37 square metres becomes a much larger issue.

If each Canadian on the move used cardboard boxes for their move, moving Canadians would account for 39,890 acres of lost habitat. PER YEAR!

That's an area equivalent to approximately 47 Central Parks or 40 Stanley Parks, the state of Florida or the country of Liechtenstein! All for one year's worth of moving in Canada. In 10 years Canadians could destroy habitat larger than the size of the entire city of Toronto. (Toronto is approx. 255,000 acres)

These numbers do not take into account the re-use of cardboard for moving and we do allow that many people make the effort to reuse boxes. However, many of the boxes that are obtained from grocery stores etc are waxed to protect them from dampness during transport and those are not recyclable and are, therefore, considerably more damaging to our environment. 

By comparisson, BungoBoxes can be used again and again and again. In fact, the life of a BungoBox has yet to be determined since we haven't broken any yet. 

There are some out there who argue that cardboard is a recylable material and that's true....to a point. Cardboard is recyclable yet it, along with other paper products, make up 30% of our landfill content. So even though it IS recyclable, it's often NOT recycled.

Finally, and this is the best part...BungoBox is cheaper than cardboard! I know right?

Remember up in the 3rd paragraph where we mention the moving box company? Well, to move a 3 bedroom home with cardboard would cost you $120 but with BungoBox Canada the same home can be moved safer and much easier with only $103! Even better? We'll throw in an extra week for free when you like our Facebook page.

So there it is. Plastic moving boxes are a much better choice for the environment, your wallet, ease of use (we bring them right to you!), your conscience and the future of the planet. 

Order your boxes today and don't forget to get your 2nd week free by liking us on Facebook! 

Chronicle Herald Heralds BungoBox Canada

Great article about BungoBox from the Chronicle Herald Business Section. Awesome! Click to read the article.

BungoBox Awards Edmonton Franchise

Orlando, Fla. (Sept. 28, 2011) - BungoBox, a plastic moving box rental company, has awarded a new BungoBox franchise in Edmonton, Alberta, bringing the total number of BungoBox franchises in Canada and the U.S. to 10. Edmonton and the surrounding area, with a population of more than 1 million, is the second-largest city in Alberta.

In April 2011, BungoBox Canada purchased the exclusive rights to develop and sell franchises throughout Canada. The first Canadian BungoBox franchise was opened in Halifax in July 2011.

Tim and Lisa Ross, Edmonton franchisees, previously owned the 27,000-square-foot Old Strathcona Antique Mall for nine years and a software development company.

“We were looking for a business that represents a new opportunity in the service industry,” Tim says. “In business, simpler is better, and at its very core, BungoBox is a simple business concept. Immediately I connected with the idea of taking one of life's most stressful events and making it easier on people.”

The couple expects to start operations in late November.

Tim, who is also a commercial pilot, says when customers hear about BungoBox, they typically have the same why-didn't-I-think-of-that reaction.

“It’s a simple concept transforming the moving industry,” says Darin McLean, co-owner of BungoBox Canada. “We expect to develop 20 franchises across Canada over the next two years, and we hope to award two more franchises before the end of the year.”

Co-founders Tom and Bob Cannon launched the franchise option in late 2010 and have awarded franchises in Florida in Gainesville, Jacksonville, South Florida, Tallahassee, Tampa, and in Atlanta, Ga; Phoenix, Ariz. and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

About BungoBox:

BungoBox is an innovative company that is transforming the traditional moving process. Committed to helping consumers save time and money with an eco-friendly alternative to cardboard boxes, BungoBox has 10 locations (nine franchise locations and one corporate location). For more information, visit www.bungobox.ca.

Even the Most Prepared Move Can Go Horribly Wrong

~ submitted by Tracy • North Vancouver, BC

Each year while studying in University, I would rent a room during the year and go home for the summer.

Trying to be ahead of the game, at the end of my second year, I set up my fall accommodation before leaving in May.

When I arrived in September, the upstairs landlord was not home, but my key opened the basement door and I moved in.

Studying in the day and working at night, I would arrive home late each day.

One night in November, I arrived home to find a strange man waiting for me.

Apparently the house had been sold in the summer and I was not informed! I had been living in an empty house for 2 monthes illegally!

I was very lucky to not have my next accommodations in a jail cell!!!

Wow, that's awesome! You must have been freaking out! I hope he gave you a few days to find a new place to live. Tracy's story falls nicely into our "horrible moving story" category. Do you have one too? If so, submit it to our Worst Moving Story Ever Contest on Facebook. You could win an iPad 2!

Furniture Dumped in the Street and “Unplanned” Expenses Make for a Horrible Move

~ submitted by Karima • Pierrefonds, Canada.

After years of always moving my own things with whichever friend or family member I could find to help I finally decided to go with a professional moving company.

We had agreed on a specific price and a contract was signed. When it came time to move, not only were the movers over an hour late but once they had the truck all packed up they proceeded to tell me it would be an extra $250 and that unless I paid the whole amount right then and there they would unload the truck. What?!!!

I called the company and argued with the woman with whom I had signed the contract. She refused to listen to reason and told her movers to unload the truck.

There was no reason given for the extra fees and I had only planned for the amount we had originally agreed to. I didn’t have any more money to give.

The movers then threw all of my things in the middle of the small one way street downtown where I lived at that time proceeding to block the road with all my furniture and boxes before driving off.

I was alone and had to call my boyfriend to come home to help me take everything from the middle of the street since I couldn’t do it alone. It was his first day at a new job and his boss was less then happy he was leaving 2 hours into his first day. People kept honking and yelling.

My boyfriend’s mom ended up having to rent a truck and had her boyfriend join her. They drove downtown when they both should have been at work just to help us move.

Never again. From that day on I always move my own things.  Yes I’m exhausted in the end and aching all over but I am certain that my things will be moved and I will never be screwed by a moving company again.

Wow Karmina, what a great reason to use Bungobox the next time you have to move. (great lead in by the way, thanks!) They drop the boxes off to your house, you pack 'em up and move them to the new place then Bungobox Canada comes to pick up the empty boxes. Super easy, all your stuff is safe and sound and nothing will end up on the street. It's a win/win. 

If you have a story like Karima's find us on Facebook and enter to win an iPad 2!

“The Movers Lost Our Newborn Son!”

~ submittted by Jenna • Unionville, ON

“The movers lost our son!!!”, I shouted into my cellphone.

“What?!!!”, my husband shouted back.

“The movers just lost our newborn son!!!”

A pause.  Thinking.  “How is that possible?!!!”

“Just meet me at the new house,” I shrilled, “I will be there in 5 minutes!”

I had already frantically dialled the movers as I drove enroute to our new home.  The phone rang into voicemail.  Their voicemail message was a musical jingle for their moving company: “Choose the one that you can trust!” 

Bob the mover had answered the phone when I dialled again.  He had pulled the truck over, searched it “thoroughly”—and told me they did not have my son!  He was seconds from our new house and would meet me there.

It had all happened as I loaded the last BungoBox of “breakables” into my car.  My newborn son was sound asleep in his basket-style car seat, just inside the foyer of our “old” house.  There was a little bit of rain, so I had wanted to take him last.  To protect him from the rain, the baby was covered with a blanket and the canopy of the car seat was in the upright position.   

I raced to the new house as my brow poured with sweat.  It was a very short drive, but time was my enemy.

Bob’s moving truck was like a mirage in a desert to me.  I raced up to the passenger door, hopped up on the little truck step, and yanked the door open.

There in the front cab of the trunk was my newborn son – in his little car seat, still fast asleep!  I unfastened his seatbelt and pulled my son to me, waking him.  He began to cry, sounding like a lamb.  I was still in a state of shock, but then it really hit me and I started sobbing too.

My voice began to tremble.  “Bob, if this isn’t a baby, then what is it?”

“I’m sorry”, he started, “I didn’t see him in there under the blanket…I thought it was empty”.

Just then my husband pulled up, jumped out of the car Dukes of Hazard style, and started in a run.  When he saw that our son was safe, he came over relieved and hugged us (the baby and I, not Bob and I).  I sobbed again right into my husband’s shoulder and left his golf shirt all soggy.

Do I need to say that we will never use Bob and his moving company ever again? 

Yikes Kim, that would be terrifying! Hey readers! Do you have a horrible moving story to rival Kim's? It would have to be a pretty good one. Check out our Facebook contest to win an iPad 2. Best story wins!

The Things We Do For Our Kids • And Other Horrible Things

Who’s TV is This? Moving In and Out at the Same Time. Fun!

Too Much Makeup!

~ submitted by Diane, Whitehorse, YK

I was moving from a small northern Canadian town that did not have a “moving company”. However, if everything was packed, a local company would ship my belongings.

I hired a local woman to do the packing and while she was an exceptionally good organizer and cleaner, she warned that she could not write and read English very well.

“No problem", I said as I finished packing a box from the bathroom, marking it “Bathroom – Make-up”.

I said all she had to do was write the room on the box, for instance “Bedroom, Kitchen, etc.”

When I arrived at my new home as the boxes were being unloaded, I noticed that every box, had “Bathroom-Make-up,” printed on the side!

Ha, ha, ha. That's a great story. Definitely caused me to giggle this morning! If you have a great, funny moving story we'd love to hear from you. Check out our contest to win an iPad 2 on Facebook!

Back and Forth, Back and Forth. The Move that Never Ends

~submitted by Gavin's mom

Just before my now 7-year-old was starting kindergarten, my mother moved out of her house. Since it was much larger than the one we owned, we decided to put our current house on the market and purchase her old one. So we spent the whole summer fixing up her house before we moved in. We refinished all of the natural wood moldings and flooring. We painted every room. I even let my son, aged 5 at the time, pick out and help paint his new playroom. 

We got a bunch of our family and friends together and moved all of our stuff in just before Gavin started kindergarten. 

We unpack everything and then work on fixing up our old house to put on the market. 

While we are waiting for a contract to come in, we are still painting, fixing leaks, etc. on my mother’s old house as we live there.

Not even one year later, I find someone to buy my old house. 

Here is where it gets bad. My Step-Dad no longer will sell us the house we have been living in. So after all the money we spent fixing up their house, we end up getting kicked to the curb. 

Luckily we still owned our original house. So although it may be smaller, we learned to appreciate it much more. We still live there today and plan on living here for many years to come.

It inspired us to fix the place up a bit. We got a new roof and painted the exterior green. 

Makes you really appreciate the little things in life when you have to move twice in one year with a 1-year-old and a 5-year-old.

Wow, this is 2 moving stories in one! Have you got a Dreadful, Horrible Moving Story you want to share? You could win an iPad 2! Enter our Facebook contest today and tell us your worst moving nightmare!