Well, they're messy. It's hard to unpack whatever it is that I've ordered. They make me think that the company I've bought from doesn't care very much for me, since they've foisted this mess off on me.

They're hard to get rid of, there's all this extra work involved in even just throwing them away. Sure, you can dissolve the corn starch ones, but then you've wasted a bunch of water.

So, what to do with them? That's next.

It's true, even I accept that sometimes packing peanuts really are the best choice for packing something.

Okay, so you've got some, and you want them gone, but you don't want to add them to the landfill. The easiest way to get rid of them is to post an OFFER on your local freecycle group.

What is freecycle? Check them out at Freecycle.org and find your local group. Freecycle is a give away/take away email list where you can post things to give away, and request things you are looking for (but you can't ask for anything untill you've posted some offers.)

If there isn't a freecyle group in your area, you could start one!

Otherwise, email the offer to folks you know, see if anyone has a use for them.

Some pack and ship stores will accept bags of packing peanuts. To give them yours, bag your packing peanuts and sift out and other packing materials that may have been mixed in, such as newspaper.

If you found this lens helpful, or at least amusing, please click on the stars above, it's easy! Thanks!

Can you believe a created a whole Squidoo Lense on packing peanuts? It all started because of the day I unpacked a huge box of, well, you know what. That's how fun and easy Squidoo is.

So naturally, when I found these terrific plush squids, I had to get one for myself. And then some for everyone else.

If you'd like one, check it out at Fun Stuff

(c) 2007 Elaine Luther All Rights Reserved