As we fully head into the new year, you might be thinking about some spring cleaning activities to get you into high gear. We’re now officially close to four weeks post-Christmas but if you’re like me, there’s probably still a few reminders of the holidays lingering around the house. If you received a lot of mail ordered gifts this year than you probably have a lot of those styrofoam packing peanuts shoved somewhere. We all know their full of static and just plain annoying when they start flying around the room. They’re also wasteful. So, instead of just chucking them out in the next round of garbage, consider these next options.
If you happen to know you’re going to be shipping something very soon (maybe the horrible figurine Aunt Maude got you for Christmas that you’re just now deciding to exchange) than you can simply reuse the packing peanuts for your own use. Many UPS stores around the nation will also recycle your packing peanuts and bubble wrap if you drop them off. In fact, a lot of the stores report only having to buy 50% new packing material in order to fill all their shipments after people donate their used materials. To find out where you can drop it off, head over to the Plastic Loose Fill Council website. It’s as easy as typing in your zip code to find out where you can recycle all those peanuts and bubble wrap.
Lastly, if you do need to buy new packing materials, buy the eco-friendly versions that are now available. While styrofoam packing peanuts aren’t biodegradable, new ones made from corn starch are. They simply dissolve in water and they’re gone. Stores like Staples and U-Haul sell them. Just hunt around and you’ll find them. You can also buy cellulose wadding that’s 100% recycled material or you can buy air chamber cushions for your boxes that are made from recycled plastic.
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I am the queen of reusing packing supplies, as you know! I’ll take anyone’s unwanted packing supplies… I will reuse them!
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Nice post!! Using reusable packing bags is quite safe.
[...] We’ve been receiving a lot of gifts by mail this year and thus have dealt with an overload of packing materials. Most people think you can only throw all that stuff out but luckily you don’t have to. You can donate those packing materials back to shipping stores. They’ll gladly re-use them and keep them from just a one-time use before going into the landfill. You can also call the “Peanut Hotline” at (800) 828-2214. For more about packing materials read The Joy (and horror) of Packing Peanuts. [...]