Shipping Container Homes – The History

Shipping containers in the United States, when speaking of importation of goods and services, is nearly 59% higher than the exportation process. The variables of imported goods and products creates what is known as a trade deficit. The USA is purchasing such an enormous amount of merchandise from other countries the these containers or ISB units are creating a huge waste disposal issue and gigantic environmental hazard. The majority of these containers are coming from China.

Shipping containers are mostly used for transportation of items and products all over the globe. Recent estimations say that 89 percent of the worlds trading process are shipped and carried through these ISBU units.

Over one hundred MILLION container cargos cross one another the oceans every year. The probability is close to 99.9 percent that any goods you own today were brought to the USA via container. However, these ISBU units are known to create problems as well. After they are used once or twice, the majority of them sit in huge yards by the coastal areas and begin to rot like aged apples. No one wants them. The price of returning these containers is estimated at $900 per unit for a return voyage to its starting point.

Believe it or not, it is actually cheaper to produce a new shipping container than transport one back. So the question is: Shipping containers are definitely a renewable resource.

Comically speaking, unlike bamboo or another sustainable resource, containers do not GROW. They are stacked up to 10-12 high even blocking the sun to nearby neighborhoods making an impact on the lifestyle of some residents.

These containers pose a serious waste disposal issue. If something is not done, the impact of the environment will only get worse. 22,000 containers reach the shorelines of just the USA alone every day. Now imagine all of the countries in the world combined? Yikes! What a real mess! Again, the majority of these units come from Asia and most people do not see a decline in the trading situation anytime soon. Even though we really cannot change this situation, we can change the way we look at it.

Instead of looking at these shipping containers as a waste disposal issue, we can view them as a gigantic abundance of a potential enormous building material frenzy. Shipping containers are instantly available across the world so there is a light at the end of this tunnel. Many engineers and construction builders are taking advantage of this situation and are starting to build Container Homes out of these units. They are recycling something into livable homes for families to live in. To feel secure in.