Packaging Peanuts, Packing Foam And Styrofoam Shipping Supplies

In an age where everyone is shipping products and goods around the world, knowing what types of protective packing supplies are available is an imperative. Anytime someone ships items across town or around the world, it must be protected. The two easiest and readily available items are foam and packaging peanuts.

Packing foam comes in sheets and is used to surround an item.

There are many kinds, and no longer just the Styrofoam that used to be so common. Two types are especially important to highlight: anti-static foam and rebond.

Static electricity can destroy expensive electronic equipment during shipment. Anti-static foam is designed to keep static away from electronic items during shipment. A 12 x12 x12 cube of this types of foam is approximately $35, but if it used to ship a several thousands of dollars item, that is a cheap investment.

Rebond foam is recycled foam that is extremely dense and can be used as carpet padding. As part of the world wide shift away from unnecessary waste, recycling packing foam into carpet padding can be a great way to save the environment and clear out a storeroom. A 12 cubic inch block of rebond foam is approximately $54, but because of its density it is much more likely to be used in 3 to 5 thicknesses to cushion delicate items during shipment.

Packaging peanuts come in many different varieties, but some recent changes in environmental standards have lead to packaging peanuts being made out of starch. For example, potato and rice starch are made into packaging peanuts. Environmentally they are extremely sound, as most small insects, worms, and even humans can use starch as food. For the truly bold, there are recipes available on the Internet of how to cook starch foam packaging peanuts. Starch based packaging peanuts cost about $20 for 12 cubic feet.

Another major trend in packaging peanuts is recycling. Because of the flexibility that the peanut format offers, many post-consumer, post-industrial foams, and Styrofoam can be recycled into packaging peanuts. Packaging peanuts can be recycled by simply taking the peanuts to the nearest packaging store such as FedEx, Kinkos, or UPS store. Also, a quick search on the Internet will yield local facilities that recycle packaging peanuts. Most major metropolitan areas offer recycling service for packing peanuts. 20 cubic feet of recycled packaging peanuts costs around $19. Again, because of their durability packaging peanuts can reused over and over.

All packing materials can be significantly less expensive if purchased in quantity. It is worth examining a businesses needs and ordering several bags or sheets of packing materials at the same time. Supplies can be purchased through any major office supply retailer, but businesses would do well to look around for wholesale pricing. Deals are easy to find and could potential save thousands a year in shipping supplies.


Sources:
Biodegradable Cornstarch Peanuts-12 Cubic Ft. Bag. Uline Shipping Supply. 2007. 23 May 2007. http://www.uline.com/ProductDetail.asp?model=S-156 4
Packing Foam. Lard Home Page. 1994-2006. David Lai. 23 May 2007. http://www.lard.net/packing.html
Packing Foam. Foam Order.com. 199-2007. 23 May 2007 http://www.foamorder.com/packing.html