On the second day of Christmas...a Bettier way to send gifts

Welcome to the second installment of Betty's green holiday ideas! Today Betty brings you ideas for greener packing for those of you who will be sending gifts this holiday season. Sure it's what's inside that counts, but don't forget to eco-fy the outside.

Reuse

*Save the boxes and polystyrene packing peanuts or foam wrapping or "plastic pillows" you may already have lying around the house or patronize one of the local mailing businesses that use recycled peanuts (see Betty's directory).

Eco-friendly Materials:

*Staples does have reusable natural starch-based foam peanuts ($43.00 for a 7 cubic foot bag). They are water soluable (dissolve in water or compost after use)

*The Container Store's Padding Paper is recycled and recyclable ($15 for 30 sheets)

*Use good-old-fashioned wadded up newspaper

Recycling Tips:

*What to do with more polystyrene peanuts that any Better World Betty could handle? Call the Plastic Loose Fill Council Peanut Hotline at 1-800-828-2214 (hey, you know you want a job there!) to find businesses that will gladly take them for you.

*Flatten your corrugated cardboard and recycle it.

*Phone your favorite local business to find out if they could use packaging items for reuse.

*And remember, when Betty cannot answer your LOCAL SOLUTION to recycling, call www.earth911.com to find a recycling center.

Hope that helps!
BWB