Where To Buy Biodegradable Packing Peanuts
Despite not being as omnipresent in consumer products, packing peanuts are still commonly used in industrial settings, and by some consumer electronics and lifestyle manufacturers. One of the major reasons for the switch: environmental concerns.
where to buy biodegradable packing peanuts
Polystyrene foam is non-biodegradable, and like other resins, it can take hundreds of years to begin to degrade in a landfill environment. Though some polystyrene peanuts can be recycled/reused, many are never properly disposed of or simply littered/dumped.
Like other lightweight litter (i.e. straws, dental floss, balloon pieces, etc.), packing peanuts are easily blown into oceans, lakes, and waterways where marine animals like seabirds, fish, sea turtles, and marine mammals commonly mistake the floating bits for food.
Despite being bad for the environment, packing peanuts are actually a pretty good packaging solution, and can do wonders for protecting sensitive and delicate items like electronics, ornaments, glassware, and so on.
Biodegradable packing peanuts are made from naturally derived starches like wheat and cornstarch. Entirely plant-based, biodegradable packing peanuts will dissolve in water, making it impossible for them to wind up polluting oceans, lakes, rivers, or waterways.
Once you have gotten all the use you need out of biodegradable packing peanuts, they can be dissolved in your home and washed away, or can even be added to a compost pile if you live in a warmer climate.
First, use your eyes: if the peanuts are white or pink, it is more likely that they are made from polystyrene. Biodegradable packing peanuts are often green to help distinguish them from their foam counterparts.
While foam packing peanuts may pollute the planet for centuries after their disposal, biodegradable packing peanuts typically degrade within a few hours or days, leaving behind no toxic residue, chemicals, or microplastics.
Like other eco-friendly alternatives (i.e. reusable bags, compostable plastics, stainless steel straws, etc.), biodegradable packing peanuts provide virtually the same experience as their foam counterparts.
Besides their end-of-life being far more environmentally friendly than foam varieties, biodegradable packing peanuts can also be manufactured with the use of fewer resources, and produce fewer emissions throughout the process.
Pros: Composed of polystyrene, a plastic polymer better known as Styrofoam, traditional loose fill packing peanuts are difficult to decompose. After disposal, they can end up in a landfill or floating around the ocean for many, many years. Biodegradable packing peanuts are made from natural, nontoxic sources, such as wheat and corn starch. They dissolve in water and can be thrown into compost piles after a single use. In addition, biodegradable foam peanuts do not have an electrostatic charge, meaning they will not stick to clothes.
Cons: Biodegradable starch-based packing peanuts may be a more environmentally-friendly option, but they do have their disadvantages. With a higher weight than traditional packing peanuts, the eco-friendly version increases shipping costs. Production also has higher costs than traditional packing peanuts, and in a challenging economy, many consumers and suppliers will often choose reduced costs over greener, more expensive alternatives. Many recycling programs accept Styrofoam packing peanuts, which are recycled and color coded to indicate material origins. Green peanuts are made from at least 70% recycled materials.
COMPOSTABLE!FunPak is too cute not to reuse, but when you're done with it, you can rinse it down your sink, flush it down the toilet, throw it in your garden, use it to craft with your kids, or toss it in the trash. Within minutes FunPak compostable packing peanuts will break down and return to our earth. Safely leaves no toxic substances or pollutants in our soil or waterways.
Starch-based packing peanuts were developed in the early 1990s. They are generally made from corn starch, but other types of natural starch are also commonly used (one of the first brands of biodegradable peanuts, Biofoam, for example, is made of the grain sorghum).
Starch packing peanuts are biodegradable and soluble in water, so there is no risk of them polluting oceans, lakes, and rivers or remaining in landfills for hundreds of years like polystyrene products.
Traditionally, packing peanuts have been made from expanded polystyrene foam, also known as Styrofoam, but due to the environmental hazards of Styrofoam, there has been an industry shift to use biodegradable packing peanuts as a more environmentally friendly option.
Traditional Styrofoam packing peanuts are almost never accepted in curbside recycling, making them a difficult product to deal with for disposal. Occasionally municipalities will offer a Styrofoam drop-off program, but due to their static nature, packing peanuts are not usually included in this type of recycling.
Finding alternatives that are more eco-friendly seems to be the only option when dealing with packing peanuts. Biodegradable packing peanuts are the logical solution to combat the plastic waste issues associated with loose fill polystyrene packing peanuts.
Businesses have more options than ever when it comes to eco-friendly packaging supplies. From air cushions to reusable cooling gel packs to biodegradable packing peanuts, there are many types of packaging available that are cost-effective and functional while being gentle on the Earth.
Biodegradable packing peanuts are a substantially more environmentally-friendly packaging material than Styrofoam. Our biodegradable peanuts are made from a unique combination of eco-friendly, biodegradable materials. The design and material of the peanuts means that they can be broken down through natural processes a short time after being discarded.
Many businesses are now paying greater attention to their packaging materials and striving to maximize the use of natural products. Biodegradable packing peanuts are made from plant-based and non-toxic materials that are safer to handle for employees and customers alike.
The use of natural and non-toxic packaging materials is also important to many customers, who are more concerned than ever about the proliferation of artificial chemicals in their daily lives. For businesses that are committed to sustainable practices and to operating in the increasingly competitive green business niche, biodegradable packing peanuts are an easy choice.
Biodegradable peanuts are much more resistant to static, making them a better choice for shipping electronics. Unlike Styrofoam, biodegradable packing peanut material does not easily attract and hold a static charge, making static discharges much less frequent.
However, as many businesses make efforts to reduce their environmental impact, shipping supplies, packing peanuts, and other protective fillings are at the top of the list to be upgraded. Thus, many businesses are switching to biodegradable packing peanuts.
Packing peanuts, also known as foam peanuts, packing noodles, or foam popcorn, are a fairly standard loose-fill packaging and cushioning substance used to protect fragile objects during shipping. The reason for their peanut-like shape is so that they interlock when compressed and can spread out when not compressed. When used in bulk, packing peanuts act as a self-correcting packing material that can shift and tumble to fill air gaps. This protects items with many corners or easily damaged edges. Peanuts can alter their collective arrangement and density to take on the many shapes needed to fill loose spaces.
Polystyrene-based peanuts were created and patented by Tektronix Inc. Dow Chemical began to sell them in around 1965, with their branded Styrofoam material. They were initially made from 100% never-before-used, or virgin, polystyrene resin, but peanuts made from 100% recycled polystyrene became commercially available in the mid-90s. That being said, these recycled polystyrene peanuts are still not biodegradable. The color and shape of foam peanuts sometimes indicate what they are made of and who made it. Often a green color means they are made of 70% or possibly more recycled polystyrene, while white is 70% or more virgin (not recycled) resin, and pink peanuts have had an antistatic agent applied to them. This color-coding does, however, sometimes vary by company.
Biodegradable starch-based packing peanuts are, of course, the environmentally-friendly option, but they do have some disadvantages compared to traditional packing peanuts. They are a little less resilient than foam, so they can break down during or after shipping and generate dust. Because they weigh more than traditional packing peanuts, the eco-friendly version increases shipping costs. The most significant disadvantage of biodegradable peanuts is their cost, as their production also costs more than the creation of conventional polystyrene packing peanuts. In a challenging economy, many manufacturers and suppliers often choose reduced costs over the greener but more expensive alternatives. And polystyrene peanuts can be made less harmful to the environment since many recycling programs accept them. They are then recycled and color-coded to indicate their material origins.
While sugar is removed from the starch peanuts during production, there are still some concerns that biodegradable packing peanuts may attract bugs or rodents. And, because they dissolve when they come into contact with water, starch packing peanuts could start to break down or become tacky in humid or rainy situations or if a liquid container spills inside the package. However, some companies are working on biodegradable alternatives to starch-based peanuts that are not water-soluble, so this may not always be a con.
This article explains what packing peanuts are traditionally made out of and what biodegradable packing peanuts are made of, along with giving the pros and cons of biodegradable peanuts. For more information on related services, consult our other guides or visit the Thomas Supplier Discovery Platform to locate potential sources of supply or view details on specific products. 041b061a72