organizing your next move

Styrofoam is an amazing product, but one that ends up getting thrown away by too many businesses once its played its use. And it is, unfortunately, not biodegradable. If you're sick of wasteful Styrofoam use in your company, consider making them into packing peanuts. This will save you money on shipping materials and help the environment at the same time.

Finding Used Styrofoam

There's a good chance your business simply throws away a lot of used Styrofoam without even realizing it. Stop that by creating a new mandate: Styrofoam collection. Anytime someone in your office runs into this item, they should place it in a large box located in the back of the office. In this way, you can collect as much as possible.

Common items you're likely to find include:

• Shipping materials
• Old drinking cups
• Signs
• Boxes (such as old coolers)

Take each piece of foam and briefly run it under cool water to remove any dirt, stains, or food items. Hand dry it with a towel and get ready to cut. Why not give some employees extra pay to join you in the cutting process? This will help make it a lot more productive.

Tips On Cutting

When you're cutting packing peanuts, you need to take a few minutes to measure out the best size and shape for each peanut. A length of about two inches with a width of one inch should be good. Cut them out in rectangular shapes and then curve each corner to make it easier for the peanuts to interlock with each other.

Here are a few Styrofoam cutting tips that will help streamline the process:

• Use serrated knives to create smoother cuts
• Consider electric knives for a steadier cutting speed
• Cut slimmer sheets with a piece of dental floss

Gather all your packing peanuts in a large plastic bag for later use. Try to fill at least two or three garbage bags with packing peanuts.

Packing Them In The Box

Once it's time for you to ship an item, you can utilize your recycled packing peanuts. Start by choosing the best shipping container for your item. Boxes are usually a great choice for larger items, and as a bonus, cardboard is recyclable. Start by picking a box that is about an inch or two wider and longer than your item. That'll give you room to add your peanuts.

Place a single layer of packing peanuts on the bottom of your box. Make sure they are even before placing your item on top. Now, slide peanuts between the side of the box and the item to give it even more cushioning. Last, but not least, place a layer or two on top of the item and seal the top of the box with tape.

Once you've mastered this process, you can also get into other realms of recycling, such as aluminum, plastic, and even paper recycling. There's nothing quite like doing something good for the Earth that also helps out your bottom line. Talk to Security Self Storage to learn more about recycling styrofoam.