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Peanuts for the Environment - Reuse Our Packaging, Says the Plastic Loose Fill Council
Peanuts for the Environment - Reuse Our Packaging, Says the Plastic Loose Fill Council
Published 04-22-05
Submitted by Plastic Loose Fill Council
Since its founding in 1991, donations of peanuts have helped Hotline member businesses reduce their purchases of new plastic loose fill by fifty percent, often more, and provided environmentally-minded citizens a good outlet for the peanuts they receive with their mail order purchases. The Hotline receives over 3,000 calls a month and has a lifetime total of over 900,000 calls.
"The Peanut Hotline continues to demonstrate how business and environmental concerns can come together," says Council President John Mellott. "The Peanut Hotline not only cuts the cost of packaging for its member businesses; but also delivers, to their door, a highly protective shipping material that can be reused many times. And, customers really appreciate those businesses because of the community and environmental service they provide."
In two polystyrene studies conducted in the 1990's by Franklin Associates, Ltd., independent analysts in the collection of national municipal solid waste stream data, business reuse of consumer-returned polystyrene peanuts led to a 50% reduction in the purchase of new packaging filler. The Franklin study found that nearly 30% of all polystyrene peanuts are reused industry wide. Reuse of polystyrene peanuts reduced virgin polystyrene demand by 22 million pounds in 1994 alone.
"Shippers like plastic peanuts because they are over 99.6% air and add little weight to a package, which is especially important when you consider fuel costs," says Mellott. "And, most important to shippers, they offer the best protection against breakage, which is a not-often-considered environmental advantage."
The PLFC won a 1997 Direct Marketing Association Robert Rodale Environmental Achievement Award for how its manufacturers helped divert 28,350,000 pounds of expanded polystyrene (EPS) packaging from landfill, boost the recycled content of EPS loose fill (plastic peanuts) to an average of 25%, reduce plastic resin content in peanuts to less than 2% of total volume, and achieve a total loose fill reuse rate of 30%.
For the third consecutive year, the PLFC was recognized as a Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP) winner. That honor is bestowed by the California Integrated Waste Management Board to California companies and nonprofits that demonstrate a substantial commitment to environmentally preferable business practices.
The Plastic Loose Fill Council, a national trade association headquartered in Oakland, CA, operates the Peanut Hotline as a public service. Contacts Plastic Loose Fill CouncilKaren Joffe, 510-654-0756 (Executive Director)John D. Mellott, 513-874-0314 (Board President)
