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What the hell am I supposed to do with all these packing peanuts?

Peter PrinciplePeter Principle Registered User regular
edited January 2011 in Help / Advice Forum
I got a shipment that was horribly overpackaged and now I've got about 6000 cubic inches of packing peanuts to get out of my house. I guess I could just dump them all in a lawn bag or two and throw them out, but that would seriously crowd my garbage can (not to mention be wasteful).

Are there any places commonly known for taking and recycling packing peanuts?

"A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business." - Eric Hoffer, _The True Believer_
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Posts

  • EggyToastEggyToast Jersey CityRegistered User regular
    edited January 2011
    You can sometimes give them to shipping places, like FedEx or UPS. Also, have you considered selling any items around the house on eBay?

    EggyToast on
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  • MushroomStickMushroomStick Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Some packing peanuts melt in water. Maybe try that.

    MushroomStick on
  • L Ron HowardL Ron Howard The duck MinnesotaRegistered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Mostly nowadays they're biodegradable, meaning if you have a compost bin you can chuck them in there and let them compost that way.
    You could just chuck them out.
    You could bring them to work to play some mean tricks on a coworker.
    You could eat them.

    L Ron Howard on
  • Cedar BrownCedar Brown Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    You can dissolve them in gasoline to make a very, very nasty flammable substance.


    Or so I heard.

    Cedar Brown on
  • NeadenNeaden Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    L Ron Howard wrote: »
    You could eat them.
    I've seen people do this but I wouldn't recommend it just because they might not be hygienic.

    Neaden on
  • eternalbleternalbl Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    I find the best way to get rid of packing peanuts is the footwell of a good buddies car.

    eternalbl on
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  • MidshipmanMidshipman Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Cedar Brown wrote: »
    You can dissolve them in gasoline to make a very, very nasty flammable substance.


    Or so I heard.

    If you want to dissolve them and they are real styrofoam (not some newfangled biodegradable material), just stir it into a plastic bin or garbage can with some Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK). MEK is a solvent that most hardware stores carry and while it's still flammable, it's much safer and more effective than gasoline. The end result will be some hard plastic sitting at the bottom of your mixing container, so don't use something that you care about the appearance of.

    I've done this before, this isn't hypothetical.

    Midshipman on
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  • ImprovoloneImprovolone Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Melting styrofoam in isopropyl (rubbing alcohol) is really neat.

    Improvolone on
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  • Shark_MegaByteShark_MegaByte Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    You could offer them for free on a site like Freecycle or Craigslist.

    Shark_MegaByte on
  • TL DRTL DR Not at all confident in his reflexive opinions of thingsRegistered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Rubbing alcohol or acetone would be preferable to MEK or gasoline, if you're just trying to reduce the volume by 90-something percent before you discard the stuff.

    Ideally, you'd do as others have suggested and give it away.

    TL DR on
  • bowenbowen Sup? Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    FYI, you're all mad scientists. Call your local UPS store, they'll probably take them for free.

    bowen on
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  • WildEEPWildEEP Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Do you work in a Cube Farm? Do you know any who works in a Cube Farm?

    Is it anyones birthday? Did anyone go out on vacation? Did anyone have a Baby? Did anyone get promoted?

    If you answer yes to any of these questions then you have a solution for a hojillion packing peanuts.

    WildEEP on
  • ahavaahava Call me Ahava ~~She/Her~~ Move to New ZealandRegistered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Bean bag Chair!!!

    Seriously.

    Get some fabric that you've got laying around (old t-shirts, or just any fabric at all) Sew it into a GIANT CIRCLE. Fill with packing peanuts. Toss on floor.

    poof.

    Beanbag chair for gaming comfortably.

    In theory

    ahava on
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  • pinenut_canarypinenut_canary Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    My dad owns a Mailbox Etc. that ships UPS, Fedex, USPS, and DHL and he always gets large boxes and bags of peanuts for free from people who are just looking to throw them away. If a UPS or Fedex store won't accept them, try looking for a small business that ships through them.

    pinenut_canary on
  • Peter PrinciplePeter Principle Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    lonelyahava wrote: »
    Bean bag Chair!!!

    Seriously.

    Get some fabric that you've got laying around (old t-shirts, or just any fabric at all) Sew it into a GIANT CIRCLE. Fill with packing peanuts. Toss on floor.

    poof.

    Beanbag chair for gaming comfortably.

    In theory

    Let's stick with suggestions that are safe and fun, like napalm, not dangerous and immoral like beanbag chairs.

    Peter Principle on
    "A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business." - Eric Hoffer, _The True Believer_
  • ceresceres When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning And the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator Mod Emeritus
    edited January 2011
    Next person to suggest making anything that can be used to start fires is in trouble.

    ceres on
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  • EncEnc A Fool with Compassion Pronouns: He, Him, HisRegistered User regular
    edited January 2011
    There are disposal companies that deal with this sort of material. Back when we had the furniture store, we had a regular drop off date with this branch of the local dump that processed the packing materials into the stuff that is used in those recycled coffee cups and such.

    Call your local dump, and if that doesn't work just swing by a local furniture store (small business will get you the best results) and ask if they know anyone that does that in your neighborhood. Barring that, dumpster disposal is your best bet via trash bag, though you should check with your municipality about plastic disposals. Many do not want that in the regular trash and prefer to do special pickups.

    Enc on
  • Peter PrinciplePeter Principle Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    There's a UPS nearby that will recycle them. Goodbye, packing peanuts. I'll miss you.

    Peter Principle on
    "A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business." - Eric Hoffer, _The True Believer_
  • ImprovoloneImprovolone Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    If you're into mold making you can totally do some castings with styrofoam after melting it with acetone (does not produce a weapon). I don't think this will work with corn based foam though.

    Improvolone on
    Voice actor for hire. My time is free if your project is!
  • Drake ChambersDrake Chambers Lay out my formal shorts. Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Shark_MegaByte wrote: »
    You could offer them for free on a site like Freecycle or Craigslist.

    I had two giant garbage bags full of the things and had a taker within an hour of posting in the free stuff section of Craigslist.

    I think you'd be hard pressed to come up with anything you couldn't get rid of that way.

    edit: Oops, I see you've already figured it out.

    Drake Chambers on
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