What To Do With Pesky Packing Peanuts
By Dawn Burden Bates, Fri Dec 9th

We do everything we can to do our part in the effort to protectthe environment. We recycle. We take extra care to combineerrands so we don't waste gasoline (especially at these prices).We even make purchases online to save energy and keep the papercatalogs at bay. And if you are like me, you just love gettingpackages in the mail. Except... when I open the package anddiscover that my item has been protected from damage in shippingwith the dreaded polystyrene packing peanuts! Not only do thesepesky peanuts make a huge mess, they are utterly indestructible.When these things end up in landfills, they NEVERdegrade. Future inhabitants of our planet will be able to studyour culture using these suckers.

So what do we do?

1. The best alternative is to simply not use these peanuts.There are alternative packing peanuts available made from starchthat almost instantly dissolve in water. Ask your onlineretailer to begin using this more environmentally friendlyalternative to polystyrene.

2. When you receive a package packed in peanuts, test them byrunning one under water to see if it dissolves. If so, you cansimply dump them in your sink a little at a time and run thedissolved peanuts down the drain. They are safe for the watersupply since they are made from vegetable and other organicmatter.

3. When the peanuts don't dissolve, there are a few things wecan do. When you have a package to ship that requires a bit ofprotection, use the peanuts. Ask your recipient to do the same.At least they don't end up in a landfill immediately.

4. If you don't like the idea of keeping the peanuts around thehouse, there are several centers and stores that will take themto reuse. Many UPS Stores, Mailboxes Etc., PostNet, and othersmall packing and shipping centers will

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accept your peanuts toreuse. Contact your local store for verification. If you havetrouble finding a drop-off location, please visithttp://www.loosefillpackaging.com for information on businessesand centers willing to accept used peanuts or call Plastic LooseFill Council's Peanut Hotline at 800-828-2214.

Get your creative juices flowing

Now we know how to recycle those pesky peanuts, but before weget rid of them, let's ask ourselves what other uses we mightfind for the peanuts. Can we think of ways we can convert ourtrash into treasure? Here are a few ideas to get us started.

-The holidays are fast approaching, so any peanuts we have leftover after using them to safeguard the gifts we're shipping canbe used for decoration. Use a needle and strong thread to stringthe peanuts like popcorn to use as a garland for your tree.

-Place a few peanuts in the bottom of a planter before insertingyour plant to conserve soil and to help drainage. Be sure not touse too many or to block the drainage hole completely.

-Use an old zippered pillowcase and fill it with peanuts. Thismakes an inexpensive pet bed or a "bean" bag chair.

-Dip the peanuts in paint and use for creative stamps. Manypeanuts look like letters or you can cut them into whatevershape you'd like. If you are a scrapbooker, this is a great wayto add a creative splash to a page.

-Crumble the peanuts into pieces and use them as faux snow inour winter decorations.

Even simple actions can help protect our environment. The morewe do, the more we help, the more our world benefits.

About the author:Dawn Bates is a wife, mother, environmentalist, and webmaster ofthe incredibly informative recycling website, A RecyclingRevolution. For both basic and extensive information onrecycling, composting, reusing, and reducing, visit A RecyclingRevolution.