What do to with packing material from packages
Doing more online shopping for the holidays? As you receive packages in the mail, here’s what to do with the packing materials:
Bubble wrap, air pillows, plastic shipping envelopes
Do not place bubble wrap and air pillows in your recycling cart. Either dispose of them in the trash or bring them to a drop-off location for recycling plastic film and bags. Many local retailers like Cub Foods, Kohl’s, Lowe’s, Lunds and Byerlys, Target and Walmart have collection bins. Visit PlasticFilmRecycling.org to find a drop-off location near you. Deflate bubble wrap and air pillows and remove labels from plastic shipping envelopes before recycling.
Cardboard boxes
Flatten shipping boxes and place them in your recycling cart. You do not need to remove the shipping tape or label.
Packing peanuts
Starch-based packing peanuts dissolve in water, which is a good way to dispose of them if they cannot be reused. Polystyrene peanuts do not dissolve in water and should be reused or placed in the trash.
Local postal service providers, such as UPS, FedEx or the U.S. Postal Service, may accept packing peanuts. Contact your local location for specific information. You can also visit the EPS Industry Alliance's website to find specific locations that will accept packing peanuts.
Receipts
Shipping receipts printed on regular paper can be recycled. Shipping receipts printed on thermal paper or label paper (printed on a sticker) should go in the trash.
Tissue paper
The fibers in tissue paper are too short to be recycled. Either reuse the tissue paper or place it in the trash. Tissue paper without foil or glitter is also accepted at Ramsey County food scraps (organics recycling) collection sites for free.
Visit our A to Z Recycling & Disposal Guide for more information on recycling and disposing of other items.