If you run a business in which you ship a lot of items in shipping containers, you should think about the environmental impact of the packaging materials you use. While some packaging materials are wasteful, others are made out of recycled materials that reduce impact to the planet. However, with a bit of creativity, you can make your own packaging materials out of garbage. Here are five ideas for you to consider:
1. Used packaging material
Reusing any packaging material that you receive in your shipments as an easy idea to implement into your packaging strategy. Keep a few shipping containers or large boxes in your shipping and receiving area, and when you receive a shipment, dump the packaging materials into one of your containers. You can use a separate container for each type of material. Then, when you are ready to ship, you have the materials you need.
2. Shredded newspapers and mail
Instead of throwing away or even sending your old paper products to the recyclers, use them as shipping materials. Shred everything when you are done using it, put it in a box and use it when you need to ship something. If you are worried about the highly unlikely threat that someone may piece together your mail, keep a few storage boxes on hand, and throw pieces of your mail into different boxes so that your packaging materials only contain truncated documents.
3. Egg cartons
Egg cartons protect eggs, and they can also protect your breakables. Use them as they are to line the bottom or sides of your shipping container. You can also mix your egg cartons with shredding mail or other packaging materials.
4. Plastic bottles
Old plastic soda bottles can be used in much the same way as egg cartons. You can fit the bottles together in a neck-to-base arrangement to create a cushion of plastic and air at the bottom of your shipping container, or you can cut off the tops of the bottles and piece together their bases so that they look like upside down egg cartons.
5. Ripped or Worn Clothing
Set up a box where employees can throw their ripped or worn out clothing. Rip the clothing into strips and use it as a packaging material. If you like this option but don't have enough donations from employees, find a charity shop near you. Ask if you can have the clothing they are not able to sell. If they were only planning to send it to the landfill, they may be willing to share it with you.
Learn more about your options by consulting local resources such as Tasbulk Container Hire.
Share24 February 2015
I'm going on a year of foreign exchange, so I am moving all of my stuff into a storage unit until I get back so I can save money on rent. I don't have much money so I am trying to do this for as little money as possible as I want to make sure that I know the best way to pack things to save space and get the smallest possible unit. This blog has some of the tricks that I have picked up in packing my household in the most space-efficient way and should be useful for anyone else packing up a household for storage.