Pesky Packing Peanuts
Posted: Tuesday, March 4th, 2008
Next time you get something in the mail that is packed with packing peanuts don’t just throw them away. And definitely don’t burn them in your trash! Polystyrene packing peanuts are not biodegradable and will not decompose in the landfill for a very very long time. Instead, reuse them when sending outgoing mail or bag them up and bring them to your local UPS store or Mailboxes Etc. These stores will gladly accept your peanuts, because it saves them money, time, and resources.
There are alternatives to packing peanuts, e.g. starch-based peanuts that dissolve and biodegrade, lots of crumpled up recyclable newspaper, or PaperNuts, an alternative to foam peanuts made from recyclable, biodegradable post-consumer corrugated cartons and post-industrial paper processing production waste.
Another thing you can do to be proactive is call the company you received the packing peanuts from and let them know you would like to see them use a more environmentally friendly alternative to the polystyrene peanuts. If they are already using biodegradable peanuts then why not still call them and tell them you appreciate their green efforts.
In terms of health, the main chemical compound of polystyrene is styrene which is harmful with chronic exposure. Take a look at this Earth Talk article that talks about the dangerous health hazards of polystyrene. “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the International Agency for Research on Cancer both consider styrene a possible human carcinogen.”Another good reason to not burn your styrofoam or drink out of styrofoam cups.