Items: packing peanuts

2 Comments

This came up in conversation last night:

Not sure what to do with those styrofoam packing peanuts? Well, technically they're known as "loose fill," and the Plastic Loose Fill Council provides a Peanut Hotline (800-828-2214) that you can call from anywhere in the US to find a collection site near you. "There are over 1,500 collection sites in the US."

If you want to reuse them in your home, Heloise provides hints on "What to Do with Leftover Packing Peanuts." For example: "Sprinkle the peanuts in the bottom of pots to provide drainage for your houseplants."

Of course, you can also do science experiments on them. For example, you can dissolve them in acetone, and possibly make the resulting mixture foam up and solidify.

Finally, if you're using the starch packing peanuts (such as ECO-FOAM) rather than the polystyrene ones, you can wet the ends and stick them together to build toy structures. (Scroll down to the "Magic Noodles" section.)

2 Responses to “Items: packing peanuts”

  1. Benjamin Rosenbaum

    I have further suggestions on home projects with packing materials.

    reply

  2. Twig

    You thought I’d let that one slip by? I highly recommend NOT using styrofoam packing peanuts in the bottom of pots to provide drainage for houseplants. I’ll spare you the essay on why, but they really aren’t good for it.

    reply

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