Go Green and Save on Shipping with Popcorn

Kitchen Tip: Pop edible popcorn to use as packing material!

The holidays are fast approaching and many of us will be packing up boxes of presents to mail out to loved ones.  Shipping materials can be expensive to purchase and usually are made of plastics that aren’t the friendliest on the environment.  There are many fillers that are used, such as styrofoam packing peanuts, plastic bubble wrap, plastic pellets, plastic bags filled with air, and newspaper.  Even used plastic grocery shopping bags can be used as stuffing in packages to keep items in place!  However, there is a better, cheaper, more environmentally friendly material to use as a packing material, and it’s in your kitchen.  Popcorn!
Kitchen Tip: Pop edible popcorn to use as packing material! Why popcorn?  Popcorn is cheap, edible, and biodegradable.  Edible popcorn received as packing material in a shipped box can be easily reused or discarded without harming the environment.  After removing edible popcorn from a package, you can add it to a compost pile, put it into bird feeders, sprinkle it on the ground for squirrels and birds to eat, or string with colored thread for strands of old-fashioned Christmas decoration.
Go green this holiday season using environmentally friendly package stuffing! How does it work?  Purchase large bags of popcorn at the store (typically, the larger the bag, the more you get for your money).  Don’t use microwave popcorn – it’s usually coated and expensive.  Pop your popcorn in an air popper (do not use butter or margarine).  Let popcorn cool fully before stuffing in packages, since the size of popcorn changes as the temperature changes (it shrinks as it cools).
Instead of using expensive styrofoam packing peanuts or other shipping materials when mailing packages, turn to your kitchen for the right supplies.  Using edible popcorn as a packing material will intrigue the person receiving your package, and possibly encourage them to use it too!