According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, millions of shipping containers are left dormant in U.S. ports every year, adding to the global waste crisis.
The reason is that China manufactures ONE WAY containers because they cost less than multi-use containers. China manufactures 97% of all shipping containers worldwide.
By reusing these single-use containers we experience multiple benefits:
- They are clean.
- They are solid and sound since they have not been stacked multiple times.
- If we do not use them, they will most likely not be recycled. To recycle a container [melt down] requires over 8000 kWh of energy…making it very costly.
- The steel containers provide the basic framework for the house requiring much less energy than traditional building material like brick or wood.
- The United States imports more goods every year than it exports resulting in thousands of shipping containers discarded every year in various ports across the country [it is too expensive to ship empty containers back to the sellers]. The affordability and sustainability of container homes has made them increasingly appealing. Due to the housing crisis, real estate prices, climate change, and a lack of smaller economical homes many people are shifting their thinking on traditional homes. Most single container homes cost anywhere between $40K and $90K and require a much smaller footprint which equals much less energy. This can help new homeowners live comfortable, sustainably focused, mortgage-free lives.
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