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| There are many ways we can all be good stewards of our planet that require only minor adjustments in the way we live. We can all contribute to the health of our planet and communities without living in a grass hut and wearing hemp clothes. One of the best ways to be kind to mother earth is to utilize biodegradable packaging. Just think of how many packages you’ve received and sent, full of plastic packaging such as bubble wrap and plastic packing peanuts. Those materials are very harmful to the environment because they are petroleum based. That means they emit harmful greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere and take decades to degrade. Bubble wrap has been around since the 1960’s and one can easily imagine how many thousands and thousands of miles of this stuff has been manufactured and is still sitting in landfills all over the country. To combat this problem many big businesses such as Walmart and Target as well as individual consumers have made the decision to use and buy biodegradable plastic bags and biodegradable packaging. There are several types of biodegradable packaging materials that range from biodegradable packing peanuts to old newspapers. Eco friendly packing peanuts are made from corn starch as is a product called GreenCell, which is a starch-based plastic that comes in rolls. Other biodegradable packaging materials currently being used is pea straw, materials made from 100% post consumer waste paper, and recycled cardboard. Biodegradable plastic bags are also being used as packaging material as well. |
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