I can’t remember the last time I used cardboard boxes to move—I have enough duffles, storage bins, and assorted containers to move my small amount of stuff from Austin to Aspen to place to place. Moving into my house for the first time, however, was a different story. I wish BungoBox had existed then!
Founded in May 2009, BungoBox (weird name, yes) rents reusable plastic boxes, delivering its stackable moving boxes to customers’ doorstep. The large box of about 2.5 cubic feet rents for $1.75 a week. Once you’ve unpacked, BungoBox picks the boxes up at the new residence.
LA and Orange County’s Rent a Green Box has been up and running for five years and their lime green boxes may seem much sleeker or cooler, but both companies get boxes from the same manufacturer, from the same line, with the same mold … and both sets of boxes are awesomely made from 100% recycled trash!
Austin’s BungoBox franchise launched in July, shared between the Doering family (Steve, 58, Lauren, 29, Keely, 26). “It ends up being a no-brainer for customers because not only are you creating a zero-waste move, it’s also cheaper than buying the alternative—cardboard,” Steve says. “Typically a cardboard box costs about $3, so for a week we’re almost 50 percent less than having to go buy an individual cardboard box.”
BungoBox will serve the greater Austin metro area, including Travis, Williamson and Hays counties.
UPDATE: Denver/Boulder opened in April of 2012! You can BungoBox in Colorado too!