Packing Materials

[Juliac]

Is there anything else that the glass vendors could use besides styro popcorn? I know that glass is breakable, and we want to receive the rods and peices whole. I hate styro popcorn. It is bad for the enviroment, birds etc and very messy. Everytime I receive some I feel so guilty. Does anyone use the biodegradable kind that melts in water? We used to use that when I worked for The Nature Company. And it worked well.

[gubnavnania]

Bridgetown is using shredded newspaper
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[Juliac]

Good for them! Maybe there is hope.

[NLC Beads]

I always recycle mine for anything I ship back out. You can see if anyone in your area reuses them?

[LouisCamp]

There are peanuts that are made out of starch and dissolve in water.

Lou

[ArtcoInc]

I reuse as much packing materials as I can, including the styrofoam peanuts and bubblewrap.

If I have to buy new packing materials, I buy the EcoFoam (starch based peanuts that dissolve in water).

Malcolm

[Katie Gee]

I donate all that I receive to one of the local UPS packing stores. They are thrilled to get them. I take the shipping labels off the package and give them box and all.


Kathy

[Phoenix]

I use newspaper ends from a local printer. I also do re-use peanuts from packages I get which accounts for the rainbow packages some people get
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I do have quite a few people that let me know they like peanuts or paper in their comments and I make sure to accomodate them if I can. I always have paper - I don't buy peanuts but I have been known to pick them up form local companies that don't recycle them when I get a request

[Marjo]

Originally Posted by Juliac
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Is there anything else that the glass vendors could use besides styro popcorn? I know that glass is breakable, and we want to receive the rods and peices whole. I hate styro popcorn. It is bad for the enviroment, birds etc and very messy. Everytime I receive some I feel so guilty. Does anyone use the biodegradable kind that melts in water? We used to use that when I worked for The Nature Company. And it worked well.

I totally agree. The last time I got glass, it was a dry cold day and there was a lot of static electricity. It took 4EVER to clean up and get rid of the styro. There's got to be a better way...
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[Flonche]

ditto here! I like the newspaper option, it gives me stuff to read about exotic places like California
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)

[Howaco]

Peanuts are not fun. I have my arms covered in them daily. All the supplies I receive come shipped in peanuts, so the majority of what I ship out is in peanuts already recycled. Any UPS location will take them. There are lots of other companies that will take them too. I don't consider them horrible unless they go to the landfills. Just keep recycling them.

I tried the disolving peanuts. Because I wash all my glass and because I wash my hands alot because of handling packing materials and boxes, the moisture on my hands made the disolving peanuts sticky and well, sticky icky!

I also tried the shreaded newspaper. It was dirty and it added lots of extra weight to the package. For shipping in the US, it was not to bad unless it was going across country, then it makes a difference, but on foreign package, it was just way to expensive for the additional weight.

I am ALL for any better ideas. I have to vacuum every single day, sometimes twice a day to keep those little buggers from flying around and getting where they are not supposed to get. Any other ideas are very, very welcome!

[Phoenix]

The weight is a good point - I suck it up and pay the shipping for the extra weight - but I do tend to use peanuts for International packages where the difference is much higher. I do the same if the package has a whole lot of empty space to fill - it goes higher on my peanuts list.

[ROC]

One place I order from uses the bags of air. It's still plastic, but I can puncture them and recycle them, and they don't have the static electricity problem. Another place I ordered some glass jars from used documents they had shredded. I thought that was a great way to recycle!

[jewlie beads]

I don't have to send out packages except maybe gifts for my parents at Christmas time and for birthdays but when I do send them something I use my plastic grocery bags. When they receive their gifts then they take the bags to the recycle bins at the store or reuse them to send me packages. I know it does'nt help for people who send out alot of packages but its an idea for accasional packages.

[Juliac]

I got a glass delivery from a famous glass supplier, and the peanuts were everywhere. I think they mate! Plus static is strong here so they cling to everything. The starch based ones would melt if they get in the road or in a landfill and still be reused. I think rodents like them though. I can understand about the extra weight of newspapers. The plastic bags were used by a company I used to work for, but like Rachel said, they are still plastic. i strongly believe that the odors given off by styro are toxic and causing a lot more problems than we even know.

It's great to hear about everyone recycling here. I save mine too, to recycle. But now that I know I can drop them off at ups, I'll do that.

[PaulaD]

Well you can imagine what my living room carpet looks like. That's where I pack!
So far all of my peanuts have beeen recycled but the bubble wrap I buy new.
I wish there was a better way too...

Paula

[maddog1050]

I remember dealing with a company a few years back who packed items in plain popped popcorn. The idea was that you could toss it out to feed the birds and squirrels so nothing went to waste.