Corn starch, which can be used to make packing peanuts.
Packaging Peanuts are small, loose pieces of S-shaped Styrofoam that are included in the packaging of delicate items to prevent damage. Some versions look more like real peanuts than others – other common shapes include pipes and 8s. They are used to fill gaps in shipping boxes so that items do not shift or slide around during transport and get damaged. In addition to being made from Styrofoam, they are also sometimes made from biodegradable materials, in response to consumer concerns about sending Styrofoam to landfills, where it can take up a lot of space and take centuries to biodegrade.
Packing peanuts are used to protect shipped items.
For centuries, a variety of materials known as loose fill have been used to package items for shipment. Hay and wood chips were common until the mid-20th century, when advances in plastics made polystyrene a viable alternative to traditional packaging materials. By packing with organic materials, companies risked pest infestation in their packaging, and things like newspaper didn’t always protect items being shipped, and tended to compact during transport.
Styrofoam, often associated with insulation, can be used to make packaged peanuts.
Packaged peanuts are lightweight yet strong enough not to break during the shipping process. Incredibly cheap to manufacture, they quickly flooded the packaging market and companies around the world began using them to ship everything from books to fruit. They seemed like the ideal solution to the problem of transporting delicate items over long distances, until concerns about landfill space began to surface. Like other plastics, polystyrene takes a long time to break down.
Packaging peanuts are now generally made from recycled materials.
Several companies started making these cushioning materials from recycled plastic, which was a positive first step. Peanut exchanges also began to spring up: businesses receiving items packaged in peanuts could take them, bagged, to an exchange where businesses needing packaging materials could collect and recycle them into their own packaging. In addition, corn starch packaging materials were developed. Cornstarch peanuts are completely biodegradable, as anyone who has put them in hot water knows. They are as efficient as plastic and can be used and reused before they run out.
Companies still use Styrofoam peanuts to protect their products during shipping, although most try to use them in an environmentally friendly way. Consumers who receive packaged peanut products can often find a local drop-off point for them or can reuse them when shipping packages to others. Most shipping companies are happy to accept recycled peanuts, and internet lists can be used to help consumers who are having difficulty disposing of their packaging materials.