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Frogbox ends the hunt for cardboard moving boxes

Frogbox ends the hunt for cardboard moving boxes
Frogboxes are reusable plastic moving boxes, that users rent in the city they're moving from and drop off in the city they're moving to
Frogboxes are reusable plastic moving boxes, that users rent in the city they're moving from and drop off in the city they're moving to
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Frogboxes are reusable plastic moving boxes, that users rent in the city they're moving from and drop off in the city they're moving to
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Frogboxes are reusable plastic moving boxes, that users rent in the city they're moving from and drop off in the city they're moving to

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

4 comments
4 comments
Matt Rings
Now to get the federal gov\'t onboard: they move more people every year than any other organization: military and federal employees to new duty locations. /And/ the federal government mandates brand new boxes for every move. Better, would be these re-usable containers... it would save millions of pounds of cardboard every year.
christopher
Now if the fools had only thought to omit the green dye and leave them see-though, customers would have a fighting chance of finding the stuff they\'d packed into these things after the moving company piles them randomly on the lawn...
Adam Nightingale
Isn\'t that what labels are for Chris?
Adrian Akau
I think that the frog boxes should be designed with with clips on the outside and detachable tops so that they might be stackable sideways, thus converting them into open cabnets. People who move need places to keep their items, once they have relocated. Should moving be required again, the frog box cabinets could then be un-clipped and used once again for their original purpose.

This would save on the collection and cleaning problem and would permit this type of box to be sold in stores such as Wal-Mart or Home Depot. It would also allow the use of any type of conveyance vehicle and not just ones owned by the frog-box company.

I think that frog boxes might be made of different colors.