Packing peanuts offer the best possible protection to fragile and/or irregularly-shaped items during a move. They interlock when compressed, shift and tumble to tightly fill empty spaces, and create a perfect fit around any object, thus providing optimal cushioning and support to delicate and sensitive items during transit, regardless of their shape and size.
Traditional foam packing peanuts, however, are very harmful to the environment (they can take hundreds of years to decompose) and very difficult to properly dispose of – so, they’re falling out of use.
Fortunately, there exists an eco-friendly alternative to foam peanuts that is just as efficient in protecting fragile items during shipping – biodegradable packing peanuts.
Biodegradable peanuts are made from natural materials and can be easily broken down by bacteria, so they’re safe for the environment. Even so, they have the same properties as foam peanuts and provide the same excellent protection to delicate items during transit.
Here is what you need to know about biodegradable packing peanuts so you can make your next move greener and less hasslesome, while still ensuring the safety of your belongings.
What are biodegradable packing peanuts made of?
Biodegradable packing peanuts are entirely plant-based – they’re made from starch derived from natural sources, such as corn, wheat, and potatoes.
Starch-based packing peanuts were developed in the early 1990s. They are generally made from corn starch, but other types of natural starch are also commonly used (one of the first brands of biodegradable peanuts, Biofoam, for example, is made of the grain sorghum).
Starch packing peanuts are biodegradable and soluble in water, so there is no risk of them polluting oceans, lakes, and rivers or remaining in landfills for hundreds of years like polystyrene products.
Good to know: Are biodegradable packing peanuts edible?
Biodegradable peanuts are plant-based and non-toxic, so they’re safe for humans and animals if accidentally ingested (as opposed to petroleum-based polystyrene packing peanuts that are toxic and can cause significant health problems when consumed).
Can you eat biodegradable packing peanuts, then? Biodegradable peanuts are made from starch and starch is edible. Yet, it is not a good idea to eat starch peanuts as they’re not produced in food-safe conditions. Besides, the nutritional value is removed from starch-based packing peanuts during the manufacturing process, so there are no benefits from eating them.
Packing with biodegradable peanuts, on the hand, has a number of benefits.
Why use biodegradable packing peanuts?
Starch packing peanuts are good for the environment – and for home movers too:
1) Biodegradable peanuts are eco-friendly
The greatest benefit of starch peanuts is that they’re safe for the environment.
Made from natural, nontoxic materials, biodegradable packing peanuts break down in a matter of days – or even hours, when exposed to moisture and warmth – without leaving any toxins, chemicals, or microplastics behind. They don’t fill landfills, don’t pollute the environment, and don’t pose any threat to wildlife. They can even be consumed without creating any health problems.
What’s more, the production of starch peanuts requires less energy and emits fewer greenhouse gases than the production of foam peanuts. Also, none of the emissions are carcinogenic or harmful – the materials used to make biodegradable packing peanuts are completely non-toxic, so workers are not exposed to dangerous chemicals or carcinogens during the manufacturing process (contrary to the production of polystyrene packing peanuts).
2) Biodegradable peanuts provide top-notch protection
Just like their foam counterparts, starch-based packing peanuts provide excellent protection to fragile and oddly-shaped items during shipping – the starch puffs fit perfectly around any shape and size, interlock with one another to create solid support and optimal padding, and successfully fill any gaps within the packing container. They’re a high-performance loose fill packing material and their shock absorption properties ensure superb cushioning and protection.
If you opt for starch-based packing peanuts, you will have a peace of mind that you have provided your belongings with the best possible protection during the move.
3) Biodegradable peanuts do not have an electrostatic charge
Unlike foam packing peanuts, starch peanuts do not hold a static charge. That makes them ideal for packing sensitive electronics that are at risk of electrostatic discharge damage.
As an added bonus, their lack of electrostatic charge means that starch peanuts won’t stick to clothes, carpets, furniture, or other items in the home during packing and unpacking.
Your electronics will be safer with starch packing peanuts – and packing and unpacking will be faster and will create less mess.
4) Biodegradable peanuts are easy to dispose of
Disposing of packing materials after moving is quite a hassle – and packing peanuts are notoriously difficult to properly get rid of. It is, therefore, quite important to know how to dispose of biodegradable packing peanuts before deciding whether to use them for your move or not.
You’ll be glad to hear that starch peanuts are actually very easy to dispose of – they dissolve in water, so they can simply be tossed in the sink and washed away. You can even add starch peanuts to a compost pile if the climate in your new area is humid and warm.
When using biodegradable packing peanuts, you won’t need to worry about how to recycle them after the move (as opposed to when using styrofoam peanuts). You will be able to quickly and easily dispose of the loose-fill packing material and this will save you a lot of time and hassle in a period when you’ll be busy with important post-relocation tasks.
With their winning combination of eco-friendliness, efficiency, and convenience, biodegradable packing peanuts could be the perfect choice for your packing needs.
Good to know: Drawbacks of using biodegradable packing peanuts
Despite their numerous benefits,starch-based packing peanuts have some disadvantages as compared to polystyrene peanuts:
- They’re less resilient than foam peanuts, so they can break down during transit and generate dust;
- They dissolve when they come in contact with water, so they may start to break down in humid conditions – if it rains or snows on moving day and some moisture gets inside the moving boxes, or if a liquid spills inside a packing container, etc.;
- They’re heavier than foam peanuts, so they increase the weight of the packing boxes and, therefore, increase the final moving cost;
- They’re edible, so they could attract bugs or rodents;
- They’re more expensive than traditional packing peanuts (as their production costs more).
The pros of biodegradable packing peanuts, however, far outweigh the cons, so they’re definitely worth considering – especially from an environmentalist point of view.
How to tell if packing peanuts are biodegradable
If you want to make your move greener or think that starch peanuts will work better for your packing needs, you will look to buy biodegradable packing peanuts when shopping for packing materials.
However, if you already have some packing peanuts at home (from packages you have received shortly before the move, electronic or electrical devices you have bought recently, etc.), you may not be sure whether they’re biodegradable or not.
Fortunately, there are some easy ways to tell if packing peanuts are starch-based:
- Check the color of the peanuts – foam peanuts are usually white or pink, while plant-based peanuts tend to be green or tan;
- Try building static electricity – foam packing peanuts will gather static and stick to your clothes, while starch peanuts won’t;
- Drop a peanut in a glass of warm water – if it dissolves quickly, it’s biodegradable; if it’s still intact after a couple of hours, then it’s a foam peanut.
The water test is the surest way to confirm that packing peanuts are biodegradable – and make sure that you use green packing materials for your move.
Using biodegradable packing peanuts will help you ensure the safety of your items during the move, will save you some time and trouble after the relocation, and will help you do your part in protecting the environment. Sounds well, doesn’t it?
