Paul Singh keeps up to date on the popular peanuts and popcorn craved by the masses - for their mailing packages.
Singh, a professor in the MSU School of Packaging, conducts research and testing of the best loose-fill materials stuffed in boxes to protect gifts and fragile items.
"When companies want their products tested, they send them to Michigan State," said Singh, also director for the Consortium of Distribution Packaging Research.
After the environmental movement in the late '80s, Singh performed a large-scale comparison research project among loose-fill packaging items ranging from starch- and paper-based packaging peanuts to expanded polystyrene, a Styrofoam-like material. Popcorn and wood shavings also were tested.
Singh's research showed the starch- and paper-based products were best in protective performance and minimum material utilization.
But Singh said these pricey bio-degradable materials still are lacking in the market.
"Cost is huge in packaging and, well, they're more expensive," Singh said of the starch-based peanuts. "And there are others: The effect of humidity shrinks the pieces, and the starch tends to leave a residue."
Singh said starch-based packaging materials, which can be dissolved in water after use, continue to be used frequently in mail-order shipments.
The majority of insulation found in boxes now consists of 100 percent recycled, expanded polystyrene.
"Nobody makes new EPS anymore," Singh said.
Matt Flechter, composting and recycling coordinator for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, said cost is often a roadblock for environmental concerns.
"When looking at recyclability or how a product will impact the environment, it's difficult to internalize all the cost," Flechter said. "But if one were to analyze, the more recyclable or biodegradable product will win out."
Flechter spends most of his efforts communicating the importance of recycling and setting up community programs.
"The reusable process and systems for reuse are best," Flechter said.
The United Parcel Service Stores use the reuse recycling policy by encouraging customers to return packaging materials.
A UPS Store employee and merchandising management senior, Mike Colliton, said people bring in huge bags of packaging peanuts.
"Most people that receive a lot of packages know we recycle them and usually just bring in boxes," he said.
The East Lansing store receives about 20 cubic feet of used pieces almost every day, Colliton said. The store mixes loose-fill materials into every package, using about 60 cubic feet on a daily basis, he said.
