Packing Preferences

     This isn’t about packing for a canoe trip but packing items that are shipped out across the world.  With the internet making mail orders so much more common these days packing materials are increasing as well.  I personally can’t stand packing peanuts because of all of their static electricity and how they get all over.  Hard styrofoam encasements are worse and plastic bubbles are fun to pop but once you pop them they really aren’t much good for packing anymore.  We try our best at Voyageur to recycle and re-use all of our packing materials or use newspapers that would be recycled anyway.  A great tip I learned from a blog reader is to use ziplock bags filled with air so they can be used for something else at another time.  Here’s Idealbytes ideas on packing the green way.

The Bite
No kidding. For such a small piece of foam, packing peanuts are huge source of annoyance and waste. Keep your nutty reaction under control by reusing them (and bubble wrap too).

The Benefits

  • Saving cash. Saving them for future mailings costs less than paying for new packaging – and you can use the money to pay your allergist.
  • Easy recycling. More than 1,500 places nationwide (such as most UPS Stores) will take ‘nuts and bubble wrap off your hands.
  • Fewer new peanuts. Places that collect used peanuts meet 50% of their packing-fill needs thanks to peanut donations.
  • Bio and recycled options. If you must buy new box-fillers, go with eco-friendlier versions.

Wanna Try?

  • Plastic Loose Fill Council – visit this site or call 800-828-2214 for the nearest packing-peanut drop spot.
  • Custom Wrap Cellulose Wadding – recycled paper that works as a filler or wrap ($45/two 24-in-by-200-ft rolls).
  • Sealed Air Bubble Wrap – bubble wrap made using partially recycled plastic ($5/12-in-by-10-ft roll).
  • U-Haul Biodegradable Packing Peanuts – made from cornstarch, they’re durable but will decompose in H2O ($5/1.5 cu ft).
  • Virtual Bubblewrap – once you pop, you can’t stop.
  • If 10,000 Biters reuse a small box’s worth of packing peanuts instead of buying new, we’ll avert enough waste to fill 35 delivery trucks.
  • OCD heaven: Bubble wrap was originally intended for use as textured wallpaper.