A cargo shipping container can be used for a variety of purposes besides transportation. Here are a few ways re-purposed cargo containers are used around the world and in Kentucky.

3 Ways You Can Re-purpose Shipping Containers In Kentucky

Living Spaces

People have been making residences out of shipping containers for years. Homes, apartments, and dorms are all creations that you can build or purchase from companies that convert containers. These residences aren’t just mobile and compact. They can have as many features as you want, including full plumbing, bathrooms, air conditioning, heat, rooftops, porches, and more.

Here in Kentucky, there have been many notable shipping container home projects in the past several years. In 2014, Habitat for Humanity started work on one of the first shipping container homes in Kentucky near Elizabethtown.

Plus, back in 2016, there were plans to build a series of container homes in the Schnitzelburg neighborhood in Louisville (the plans were later scrapped, though). You can even stay in a shipping container cabin in Slade near the Red River Gorge through Airbnb.

Restaurants and Office Spaces

In addition, restaurant and other business owners have re-purposed shipping containers for use. Worldwide, there are pop-up shops in London, England and a container city in Cholula, Mexico, just to name two instances.

In Louisville, a few examples have also sprung up recently. Copper & Kings, a brandy distillery in the Butchertown neighborhood, has used several shipping containers for a boutique and visitor’s center. Plus, Royal’s Chicken’s location in Nulu has shipping containers outside for seating.

Most recently, the initial building for a project called Opportunity Corner in Russell has begun to take form in Louisville. The project will provide office spaces to help grow a self-sustaining space for entrepreneurs and other community members. This project follows in a tradition of using mobile offices as workplaces. Construction professionals have long used storage container offices on-site. They provide the advantage of mobility, sturdiness, and flexible work and storage space.

Shipping Container Farming

Lastly, farmers have used shipping containers to produce food. There are a growing number of companies that make shipping containers for agricultural work. Farmers can grow everything from herbs to leafy greens for industries like nutrition and fragrance.

These container farms offer a few key benefits for farmers. They are readily available, compact, cheap up front, and easy to transport. Many farmers are excited about container farms and see them as a way to produce fresh and local food more readily. However, there are some challenges as well. For one, the environment within the containers can be hard to control. In addition, a container that is too small for the number of farm workers may be difficult to move around in. Plus, overhead can become expensive after the initial container build.

It can certainly take a lot of work and money to make a shipping container a living space or business location. But with the right investment, they have the potential to be a sustainable solution. One thing is for sure: interest in re-purposing these containers has increased over the past few years and shows no sign of stopping.

Moon Trailer Leasing offers shipping containers to companies and organizations across Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee. Call 502-776-2199 today for a fast and free quote.