Simple Alternative Packing Materials

Everybody is turning “green” these days.  We should all do our part making Earth a better place to leave in every aspect of our lives.  In packing and shipping items, we can lessen our carbon footprint by using “green packing supplies” or materials that can be reused for packing, or are made from biodegradable materials. The idea is to stop from adding any more waste to a landfill by reusing items for packing over and over. Here are some alternative packing materials that you can use to help minimize environmental degradation:

Newspaper – Newspaper are very versatile packing materials.  Re-use them to wrap items or as cushioning material: crumpled, balled up, torn into strips, etc.

Magazines – Re-use magazine pages as you would a newspaper.

Old Clothes – Cut threadbare or ripped shirts, jeans and other clothing and re-use as wrapping material for breakables. They can also be used as space fillers.

Junk Mail – Don’t throw out those pesky junk mail. Crumple them up or shed into strips and use as space fillers in packages.

Office Paper Waste – Shredded paper waste from your office is a great filler for many packages. However, never use any confidential document even if it’s shredded.

Re-sealable Bags – Wash and reuse re-sealable bags. You can fill them with air and use as cushioning in packages that aren’t quite full.

Wrapping Paper – Some people reuse wrapping paper from larger gifts, but it never looks quite as fresh the second time around. Instead, save wrapping paper to fill out future gifts that you need to send by post.

Plastic Bags – Plastic bags are a great space-filler and they cushion breakables well.

Popcorn – Pad any extra space with small bags of freshly popped popcorn. It’s an extra treat, and it will provide great cushioning for many items.