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Bill Nye, guy of science and host of Stuff Happens, would like us to rethink the way we package and ship our presents this year in a new Planet Green Holiday Highlight. Polystyrene peanuts, for decades the the standard in loose-fill packing, are bad for the our ecosystems. They also make Bill sneeze.
Every day, people ship countless boxes filled with hundreds and hundreds of polystyrene packing peanuts. These peanuts may come in handy for packing and protecting the fragile family vase. But once that vase is safe and sound, placed gently on that lovely cherry maple end table, what happens to those peanuts?
Although packing peanuts may spend their lives being sifted through or generally ignored, there is little doubt of their eco-impact. When they go to the landfill, these peanuts bolster the overall size of the trash heap. Landfill growth is a looming problem that we all need to take very seriously.
Bill Nye gives us a couple of alternatives to polystyrene packaging peanuts. One of those alternatives is to crumple up some scrap paper and use that to protect your valuables. Newspapers, old term papers, drafts of that novel you're always trying to finish, junk mail, flyers found on your car and poems that you wrote for your cat all make great alternatives to packing peanuts.
More Planet Green Holiday Highlights:
Solve Wrapping Woes with Bill Nye (Video)
Decorate Your Home with Solar Powered Christmas Lights (Video)
Avoid Greeting Card Waste with Annabelle Gurwitch (Video)
Self-proclaimed science nerd? Learn the art of sustainable experiments on Planet Green TV's Stuff Happens.
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