• Home
• About
• Blog Roll

Green Journal: Reusing Packing Materials
July 23, 2007

This past week, we received an appliance delivery, fully protected and cushioned by an enormous amount of bubble wrap. When it was finally unwrapped, I had close to 40 feet of this stuff. So what am I suppose to do with it and other packaging materials that come with deliveries. Many people simple throw these packaging items in the trash, which then sits in landfills forever and a day. In an ideal world, all merchants should use biodegradable or at least recyclable packaging materials but this of course is not an ideal world. Although technically recyclable, materials like bubble wrap, styrofoam peanuts and blocks are not recyclable in practical and economical terms. Reuse of these items appears to be the best alternative these items don’t break down and retains its “usefulness”.

In effort to avoid the landfill path, I did a little searching on my local recycling site and found only one independent mailing center near me that will accept and reuse bubble wrap. My local UPS store only accepts Styrofoam peanuts but not bubble wrap, though I was told this policy differs by store. Rather than giving it to a store, I posted a message on my local mom’s group and within a couple of hours, had several eager takers.

So the next time you receive bags of peanuts or bubble wrap with your package, think twice before throwing it in the trash. Ask your neighbors, post a free message on your group mail or try an organization like Freecycle (great for all sorts of exchanges and barters). You can also try the following places and see if they accept them:
– The UPS Store at www.theupsstore.com
– Other local shipping and mailing stores
– Electronics stores (some are willing to take peanuts or Styrofoam blocks)
– Your local waste management and recycling center (most of them have online resources for hard-to-recycle items)

At $15 a roll (if purchased in a store), finding a friend/neighbor to pick up and reuse that pesky bubble wrap seems like the best alternative right now.

CindyC at Organicpicks

If you enjoyed this entry, please subscribe to the Organic Picks Blog

Previous Green Journal Entries:
Time & Energy Saving Meals
Rest Your Computer and Save Energy
Less Lint, More Energy Savings
Seal,Mail and Recycle Cell Phones

Pump Up Fuel Efficiency
Wife’s Test on CFLs
Eat Local and Organic
BYOC: Bring Your Own Cup
BYOB: Bring Your Own Bag

Copyright 2007 Organicpicks