What do you do with packing peanuts?

[Rosey]

What do you guys do with all the packing peanuts that some supply places send? Reuse them?

Personally, I hate getting packing peanuts but now I have a butt load and I'm debating what to do with them.

 

[dandelion]

I can't stand them either but don't know what to do with them.

 

[carebear]

I clicked recycle, because that is how I think of reusing them.

So in fact, I re-use them IF they are pristine. If not, into the garbage they go.

Rosey - people on freecycle are always looking for them around here. Don't toss good ones!

 

[Rosey]

That's what I'm thinking also carebear although i had never heard of that site. I may have to look into it.

They are pristine. I was thinking about recycling because one of the nurseries I buy from has a program to send them back the peanuts at their cost to reuse them.

I'm going to send a bunch of samples out to people and thinking about future things and wondering what's the best way to pad soap. I'm so clueless.

 

[TessC]

Definitely list them on Freecycle, people snap them up like mad.

 

[vivcarm]

Yep Freecycle came to my mind too! I always keep a few for when I am posting presents or stuff for ebay, I collect a few boxes too, drives DH mad!

 

[AshleyR]

I have a GIANT box in my basement full of them that I've been reusing to pack orders from my website. I've gone through a lot of them already but the pile still seems never ending!

I kind of like getting them though, saves me money on having to buy packing supplies for my packages!

 

[Deda]

Recycle here, too. I take them to the UPS store down the street. I tend to place my orders twice a month, it's no big deal to just save them up for a couple days until all my orders are here, then I just drop them off.

I'm trying to break the cycle and not use them at all. When I ship I use shredded scrap paper.

 

[TheSoapyEwe]

I have a GIANT box in my basement full of them that I've been reusing to pack orders from my website. I've gone through a lot of them already but the pile still seems never ending!

I kind of like getting them though, saves me money on having to buy packing supplies for my packages!

I agree it saves money on having to buy them. I keep mine in big boxes and use them when I'm shipping out an order.

 

[PippiL]

I put them in the button of my planting pots for drainage...

 

[new12soap]

Thank you so much for the excellent suggestions! They mostly just sit in my garage, I can't throw them away but I will never use them all. I have a ups store close by that would be so easy to drop them off there...

 

[Soapy Gurl]

I have noticed that a decent portion of mine are the cellulose kind. I think that is what they are called. They dissolve with water, which is a brilliant idea. I do try to save the others for re-use, but they are a dog hair magnet. So if i am not super, super careful they will attract it and I have to chuck them.

 

[Bigmoose]

I reuse them. A couple years ago when I needed them for shipping orders I would put an ad on craigslist asking for them and got wonderful response. I go thru too many now that I buy them 40 cf at a time now.

Bruce

 

[sudbubblez]

The kids have taken to putting little toothpick sails on them and building boats by sticking several together with toothpicks and racing them in the street runoff when it rains.

I have heard that there is a way to use them in potting soil.

 

[soapylady]

I throw them out usually. I'll reuse them if i have something to ship that requires them, but i just don't have room to store them all. I just hate when they are used for things that aren't even fragile. The other day i ordered a tube of lip balm off of amazon. I assumed it would come in a tiny envelope or package. NO. It came shipped in a large (1 ft wide at least) box filled with packing peanuts. I was appalled at the wasteful packaging and the mess of packing peanuts.