Rant Styrofoam packaging!

this afternoon I have been cleaning out my room in the basement. A lot of the mess down there were old boxes for computer or stereo equipment. To clear out some space I threw out all the boxes, and cut them up to make them flat.

However, this saves almost NO space, a these stupid Styrofoam inserts take up just as much space as the box itself! On top of that, they are molded to fit ONLY the device they are shipped with, so it's hopeless to reuse them.

Why can't manufacturers use alternative methods? Some boxes use folded cardboard, or even molded cardboard inserts that can easily be flattened. If more dampening is required, why not use these "airbags" as padding? They can easily be punctured or reused for other stuff.

I'm not the one that care most about the environment, but this is just ridiculous! The resources used to produce, transport and dispose of this stuff must be immense!

So, anyone have any opinions, or any good explanation for why they still use this stuff?

 

probably still the best way to store things securely, as they are formed around the item theres pretty much no way it can move. theres a similar kind of thing which are like plastic bags with an injected foam in them, really annoying to dispose of as they make a right mess. personally i cant see why they dont use a mixture of cardboard, packing peas and maybe just a little bit of polystyrene

 

actually, the plastic bags with injected foam can be flattened if you step on them. The Styrofoam just break into pieces and covers the place in tiny white particles!

 

lol you got to it first. The mess they make is horrendous - especially when you have kids about.

I don't thing it'll be long before governments put laws against excessive packaging and use of plastic foams, since their manufacture and disposal costs SOOO much - for the environment. The plastics really are planet killers.

However, I suppose from a manufacturer's POV, it is cheap when used in large quantities, and is a very effective way of packaging. I have never come across a new item which has been damaged in transit in a polystyrene foam. However, once I ordered a few items off ebuyer, and the box had suffered some knocks - but thankfully my items were alright - except the plastic spindle holding the 100 blank DVD's, which had been smashed up at the base... The packaging used here was the air bags, though I suppose the couriers are as much to blame for letting the box knock about so much - it looked like it had been thrown off a building.

 

What about the stuff they make those small foam balls from? I believe it's corn or something like that. That stuff works just as well as styrofoam, and is actually water soluble. It can also be eaten. (yes, i have tried. Doesn't taste too bad either... ) If they could use that stuff to mold padding just as with styrofoam, it would be very simple to get rid of. Just soak it in water, and it will take just a fraction of the space.

 

Ahh yes - that stuff can be used effectively - though I can't imagine it can be reused once you've wet it - or eaten it for that matter

I suppose even a biodegradeable foam would be appreciated...

 

No, it can't be reused (other than for food) but it's way easier and environmental friendly to dispose off. In theory you could wet it, and spread it on your lawn. Should be gone in a few days (or even hours if it rains).

I wonder of nutritious that stuff is...

 

The moulded cardboard is really good, the other one is organic packing chips, they're a bit like popcorn, biodegradable and also edible... if they could mould them like styrofoam that would be ideal.

Moriquendi

 

I know people who feed that stuff to their pet rats (and they're not dead yet).

 

cant you just use the styrofoam or polystyrene to make napalm? its more fun than throwing the stuff away!

 

Acetone

 

kerosene

 

What I hate is a BIG box FULL of peanuts, for a small package. Newegg does this all the time, I end up playing treasure hunt whenever I order something, and those peanuts fly ALL over and the cat starts attacking them and.. yea..

 

The Maize packing sticks aren't as good as they used to be. They used to taste like slightly bland Wotsits (cheesy maize snacks for anyone who doesn't know)
Now they're just rubbish.

How recyclable is styrofoam, anyway? I would have thought it's less so than a combination of air pockets and shaped cardboard.

 

some dickhead at my old workplace jumped on one of these plastic air bags, slipped, broke his leg then sued the company. ****. and no, he wasn't american this time.

 

Doesn't work very well when you love in the middle of a city. I know it's fun to burn, but it make this very nasty black smoke.

 

agree, that styrofoam stuff is annoying, while we are at the topic of packaging pc hardware allready, make those damn boxes smaller, I dont need a box I can fit my entire pc in with each component. (and no, dont tell me its because it looks better in retail, there are no pc stores anymore anyway (atleast none I would consider buying from) and everything is bought online).

 

Lol the size comment is true. I'll order the parts for one computer, and end up with a stack of boxes the size of a grand piano.

 

I believe you are referring to the StarchTech corn starch-derived packing peanuts. They are biodegradable, lightweight, watersoluble, static-free, reusuable packing alternative that is marginally cheaper than styrofoam molds. I handle them often at work. One two-metre tall, 70cm diameter bag of these peanuts weighs under 5 kilograms.

We nicknamed them Cheetos at work.

 

i hate delivering those big bags of packing goods! they're so light so the sender can stick a cheaper ticket on them and they take up so much room! but then when they spill, more Napalm for me!