Which packing peanuts are biodegradable

Email Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Are My Packing Peanuts Biodegradable? Non-biodegradable Packing Peanuts vs. Biodegradable Packing Peanut Materials Traditional packing peanuts are made of are polystyrene, more commonly known as Styrofoam, while biodegradable packing peanuts are made of natural materials like wheat and corn starch. Traditional packing peanuts are usually white or pink. It only takes a few minutes for the pellets to completely dissolve.

Whereas traditional polystyrene packing peanuts will remain unaffected by the water. Why Use Biodegradable Packing Peanuts? Where to Find Biodegradable Packing Peanuts When shopping for biodegradable packing peanuts, be sure to look for cost competitiveness, shipping availability, and product weight. 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. Next, try building static electricity: foam packing peanuts will gather static and stick to your clothes. Finally, do the water test: drop a peanut in a glass of warm water and see how it reacts.

If it dissolves, you have a biodegradable packing peanut on your hands. 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. For marine environments, reducing the use of petroleum-derived products is of the utmost importance. With more than 8 million tons of plastic being dumped into our oceans each year, plastic pollution has become one of the largest and most significant threats to our environment.

Like other eco-friendly alternatives i. For more information on loose fill packaging peanuts and other sustainable packaging solutions, contact Heritage Paper today. Pros and Cons of Biodegradable Packing Peanuts Take the First Step. First Name. Packaging Design Fulfillment Packaging Equipment. Option A: Finding other materials for packing other than the standard packing materials. In class, create a criteria checklist for packing material.

Students need to keep in mind the minimal criteria: lightweight and protects the packaged item. Other criteria could include: is it an agricultural product, cost of item, supply, biodegradable, and what products it works with — food, plastic, wood, glass, etc.

Have groups brainstorm a list of different materials that could be repurposed for packing and use the checklist to identify pros and cons of each material.

Students need to also list a minimum of 1 item that would be a good packing material, but would not be used because of criteria such as weight, lack of supply, etc. All materials need to be common items that can be found in a home Some ideas students may think of could include: recycled- newspaper, repurposed egg cartons; food- popcorn in bags; wadded grocery bags; balloons filled with air; etc.

The materials must be something repurposed for packing. No peanuts, paper, bubble wrap that is already purposed for packing can be used in this experiment. Encourage your students to think outside the box.

Option B: Teacher provides an assortment of materials available for groups to test and work with. Include items that would and would not work for various reasons.

Groups will choose one material from the generated list and test their experiment with the egg. Tape up the box, take a picture of the outside appearance of the box, and get ready to test the egg trial. Have students fill out the PackageDropWS. Then with the plastic packing peanuts. Record their observations. Then have students complete the experiment with their alternative materials from Option A or Option B.

After completing the worksheet, have students take a picture of the outside of the box and the inside of the box to see how it has changed after dropping the box. After looking at the egg and its condition, rate the packaging performance and reflect how the students thought their packing material upheld or what they would change if they were to do it again.