Jerry Seinfeld once commented that when you’re moving, your whole life becomes centered around finding cardboard boxes. While some moving companies will sell boxes to you, after the move you’re then stuck with them, and end up either recycling them after just one use, or filling your basement/garage/attic with the things. If you don’t want to scrounge for free boxes or waste the ones you get, however, there is now an alternative – you can rent some reusable polyethylene Frogboxes.
The standard Frogbox moving box measures 24 x 20 x 12 inches (61 x 51 x 30.5 cm) and has a capacity of 70 liters (2.4 cubic feet). The company also offers a wardrobe box, designed specifically for packing clothes. Both types of Frogboxes are water resistant, stackable, and have built-in handles.
Clients estimate how many boxes they’ll need, then contact the local Frogbox depot for delivery. They then pack up their belongings in the supplied boxes, move them to their destination city, then unpack and get the depot in that city to come pick up the empty boxes. The company proceeds to clean the boxes before they go out to the next client.
Not only does the service eliminate the search for and disposal of cardboard boxes, but its founders also maintain that it’s a greener approach to moving.
“While cardboard boxes can be reused and then recycled, on average they're used less than two times, and recycling takes lots of energy and water – so, better than ending up in a landfill, still not great,” Frogbox co-founder Doug Burgoyne told Gizmag. “Our boxes are used up to 400 times before being recycled. We also use bio diesel where feasible and all our locations and future franchises will donate one percent of revenue to frog habitat restoration.”
So no, they’re not called Frogboxes just because they’re green.
For now, the service is only available to people moving between the Canadian cities of Vancouver (where it’s based) and Toronto, and Seattle in the U.S. The company is actively looking for franchisers in other cities across North America, however.
Pricing is based on how long you need the boxes for, as opposed to how far you’re taking them. The One Bedroom Bundle, which includes 25 boxes and a moving dolly, costs from CAN$79 (currently about the same as U.S. currency) for one week to $129 for three weeks. At the other end of the scale, the 70-box Four Bedroom Bundle runs from $199 for one week to $299 for three. The combined pick-up and delivery fee starts at $30, depending on location.
Via Dragon's Den