What to do with the mountain of cardboard boxes after a move? It can be a dilemma, especially for eco-conscious consumers, who don’t want to add to the landfill waste. St. Albert residents have an alternative with Frogbox, the Edmonton region’s only provider of re-usable plastic moving boxes. And with drop-off and pick-up service, the convenient, eco-friendly alternative to cardboard is a no-brainer for many.
“We’ve never changed how we move, and yet it’s one of the most stressful things we ever do.” said Edmonton franchise owner Darren Weber. “We chase around for cardboard boxes, and then most end up in the landfill after just two uses. If you could make the move easier, without impacting the environment , why wouldn’t you?”
The sturdy, stackable 70 litre boxes used by frogbox are used an estimated 400 times each – disinfected before each use – and are rented based on number of bedrooms and the size of the home or office. “Reuse is best, before recycle,” Weber said, estimating that the average house spends $150 (plus $30 for delivery and pickup) for frogbox rentals.
Customer, mostly residential, but also many business/office moves, can choose when, where and for how long to keep boxes before pickup at the new location. Weber said he sees frogbox revolutionizing the moving industry, and with branches across Canada and several in the U.S., it makes moving to another city that much easier – pack up in one location; get frogbox to pick up the boxes in the new city.
“We want to eliminate cardboard boxes for moving. We want people to see that we’re passionate about the product and the environment. We’re going to be a household name,” said Weber, who co-owns the local franchise with wife Carmen.
As a “green” corporate citizen, frogbox donates one per cent of annual sales to eco-friendly charities like Duck Unlimited. Even the frog represents the eco-friendly mindset – it’s an indicator species, so if frogs aren’t present in a pond, it’s not a healthy environment.
“It’s a challenging industry – there can be a lot of waste – but we’re breaking new ground,” Weber added.
Other companies are seeing the benefits too. Ted Lelacheur, president of Western Moving and Storage, said there’s a definite advantage to plastic moving boxes, especially the number of times a box can be reused.
“Fundamentally, it’s a great system. Our customers tell us they like the reusable aspect – especially office moves, where they need to get out of boxes quickly at the new location,” he said.
Chaise Kozinko, lead hand for Action Moving, said his movers like the sturdy, stackable frogboxes too, which most importantly, can be labelled and locked. “We like that – nobody can get access to what’s in the boxes,” he said.
Consumer can go online to estimate the costs for box rental for their move, at frogbox.com.
St. Albert Gazette, Lucy Haines, Special to the Gazette, Wednesday May 28, 2014, frogbox.com
About Don Cholak
