Traditional Packing Peanut
Many people come in contact with Expanded Polystyrene Foam (EPS) on a weekly basis. EPS, also known as Styrofoam ® is commonly used to create insulated cups, to-go food containers, and many types of packaging products. Since 1965, it has been the standard material used to create a packing peanut. While Styrofoam proves very practical, it has many other not-so-useful and even harmful characteristics. Styrofoam is made from non-renewable petroleum products and as a result it contains ingredients which may be harmful to humans. Styrofoam also consumes a great deal of energy and produces many greenhouse gases during manufacturing. According to the EPA, Styrofoam materials takes more than 500 years to decompose in a landfill. Styrofoams inability to decompose quickly often results in litter which pollutes and threatens waterways, natural habitats and communities. For these very reasons Styrofoam has already been banned in more than 100 cities between the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia.
Biodegradable Packing Peanuts
As the industry leader in moving and storage, U-Haul decided that the old standard just wasn’t good enough. Since 1993, U-Haul has offered our customers a more socially responsible and environmentally-friendly alternative to Styrofoam, the Biodegradable Peanut Pak™. The biodegradable packing peanuts sold at U-Haul provide our customers an affordable, lightweight option to keep their fragile items safe and secure during their move without the negative environmental impact that Styrofoam produces. Made of corn and potato starch U-Haul peanuts are non-toxic, eliminating concern if a child or pet ingests them. Our U-Haul Team has been known to eat the peanuts to demonstrate this fact! These peanuts dissolve completely in water, leaving zero waste in landfills. By choosing this option over Styrofoam, our U-Haul customers have diverted more than 6,000,000 cubic feet of Styrofoam from landfills since 1993.
U-Haul Standard
We are proud to carry a responsible product that benefits our customers, our communities and the environment. We strive to consider the impacts of our do-it-yourself moving products while ensuring they remain affordable and practical for our customers. We encourage you to consider the benefit of our biodegradable packing peanuts over traditional Styrofoam products and choose these U-Haul supplies for your next do-it-yourself move.
For more information on U-Haul moving products that share outstanding value and are good for the environment view Green Retail Therapy.
Sources:
epa.gov/reg3wcmd/solidwasterecyclingfacts.htm, isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic967858.files/PolystyreneFactSheets.pdf, premierhandling.com/history-packing-peanuts/
