This board is the best source of advice and information I’ve ever encountered, so here is my latest dilemma.
My recent order of Harrison’s Bird Food was packed in these foamy-looking peanuts that smell like popcorn. I believe they are made from corn. When I ran water over one, it dissolved. They’re very much like a big cheeto.
What can I do with them? They smell like they might be tasty, but they were loose in the box, so I’m not sure that I want to nibble them myself. I’m not sure my budgies should have them, either, although they would probably enjoy them.
Are these something wild birds might enjoy? Can I toss them under a tree at the park for the doves and sparrows?
How about gerbils? Would my coworker’s gerbil enjoy shredding them?
Have you tried lighting one? Perhaps they burn well. You could shower someone who is making too much noise below your apartment balcony with little burning hints of your displeasure.
I believe that the packing peanuts to which you refer are made of cornstarch. You can either reuse them as packing peanuts or dissolve them in water and send it down the drain into your sewage system or dump the water outdoors.
Unlike the usual styrofoam pellets, the cornstarch ones aren’t petroleum-based* so they are supposed to be more environmentally friendly. As you’ve seen, you can dissolve them to dispose of them if you wish. What I don’t like is that when they get a little wet, they get sticky/slimy. I always reuse packing peanuts. If I don’t have enough packages to send, I can redeem a garbage-bag full of packing peanuts for a free ice cream cone at a local business, the Knotty Shop. http://www.geocities.com/abaccola/knotty.html
*Well, actually you can argue convincingly that CORN is itself a petroleum-based product, at least in the U.S. – but that discussion would probably belong in the “rubber room” forum.
I used to work for the post office. People used to bring all sorts of packing materials in, and we would keep it until somebody came in and asked if we had any extra (which usually wasn’t long).
Thread hijack. Where else am I going to find such creative people interested in packaging materials? I need your help concerning shredded office paper.
When I am giving a presentation, I usually come up with a game based on the theme of my presentation. This helps make learning fun and exciting. I’ve been challenged by one of my co-workers to come up with a game that involves shredded office paper. Does anyone have any ideas? I’ve been without idea for a month now.
If they are clean, ferrets love to play in these things.
You can fill a large cardboard box with these cornstarch peanuts, turn a couple of ferrets loose into it, and they will cheerfully snorkel around in it.
It’s quite comical to watch.
However, be sure the peanuts are clean and haven’t been exposed to any chemicals that could be dangerous to critters.
Illustrate a point in your topic using a diagram of some sort. Print it darkly on paper. Shred each sheet individually and put it in a baggie. (Use a fairly wide-strip shredder, not one of the diamond cut or extra-fine shred.) Have people reassemble the diagram.
I think that might work if you used words or something they would recognize after listening to the presentation.
Alternatively, award a handful of shreds for every correct answer to a game question. First person who gets a bag full wins. The loser gets to clean the room afterward.
We have a string of styrofoam peanuts that our nephew made for our Christmas tree thirty years ago. It’s hideous. (Ya mean I could have spilled a drink on it and dissolved the damn thing a quarter-century ago…!!!
If the jigsaw puzzle could be completed in less than 5 minutes, that might work. Paper that had a rainbow pattern might be easier to put back together too.
I used to freak people out by eating those things to show off. I was receiving manager for a store.
Either put 'em in the garbage or in the green waste if you have such a collection service. They will decompose after all, that’s the point. I wouldn’t muck up the plumbing with them. I think that’s not a good idea.
