Cardboard Boxes v Plastic Crates

A few months ago I came across a crate hire company in the US called Bungo Box. It’s a brilliant idea – they deliver crates for when you move house, you pack them, move them and then they come and collect. The only problem that I could see was that Bungo Box are based in the US… I’m pretty sure the delivery charges wouldn’t be economical!

So I had a little look on Google and found a few crate hire companies but none that really focus on the domestic mover. And then, very strangely, the very next day I had a call from Martin Pope who set up domestic removals targeted crate hire company Crate Critter in the UK late last year with his wife Rebecca. They are based in Welwyn Garden City and currently service the local counties and London, with plans to expand imminent. How about that for a coincidence!

Traditionally, we use cardboard boxes when we move house, but is that because we don’t know any better? Let’s look at the pros and cons of using good old cardboard and whether plastic crates are the future… (thanks to crate critter’s comparison page for some of these!)

Cardboard

Pros

• Readily available and pretty easy to pick up for free if you don’t mind hassling the local supermarket.
• They’re light
• Reasonably easy to build
• Recyclable
• Handy for long term storage
• Easy to label
• Easy to stack (as long as they’re the same size and shape and not collapsing)

Cons

• Think about how many boxes are used per move it means a lot of cardboard – not terriby environmentally frienly
• Brown tape – pretty annoying and not recyclable
• Can only be used a few times before they’re not suitable to protect your belongings
• If you’re buying, it’s a lot of money to spend on something you’re going to throw away more or less straight away
• Weaken when it rains (always a risk when moving house in this country!)
• If they’re not strong enough to stack they collapse
• No handles

Crates

Pros

• Environmentally friendly
• Recyclable (when it eventually reaches the end of its lifecycle)
• No construction required – quicker packing
• Hard wearing
• Can be used time and time again
• Easy to label
• Easy to stack
• Weatherproof
• Handles for easier picking up and carrying
• Crate hire is cheaper than purchasing boxes

Cons

• Heavier than cardboard boxes – although easily moved on a dolly or trolley (or if you don’t pack them too heavily)
• Expensive to purchase (solution to that is Crate Critter where crate hire is usually cheaper than purchasing boxes!)

They both have their plus and minus points but it looks like Crate Hire is the winner of the pros/cons competition. I’m really glad that there is another, more environmentally friendly packing box option than using cardboard boxes when you move house and I am looking forward to working with Martin and Becki at Crate Critter.