Social platforms like TikTok and Reddit may be a go-to for information for many people, but YouTube is full of helpful information, too. One YouTuber shows viewers how to reuse padded mailers for a small business or anything you need to ship.
The scoop
This hack is truly one of those things that makes you say: "Why didn't I think of that?" Josh (@Josh_OfAllTrades) is an engineer who shows their subscribers how to repair things around the home and, occasionally, ways to reduce waste.
In one clip, Josh shows the simple way to reuse padded envelopes without showing the preprinted logos that often cover the outside.
To get a clean padded envelope, tear off any labels that may be on the outside, especially those with identifying information. Next, Josh explains: "This is gonna sound kinda dumb, but just turn it inside out." This hack will work best on mailers that don't have bubble wrap on the inside.
If you have something smaller to ship, you can cut your envelope down to size, or you can leave it as is. Josh cuts the top in a semicircular shape so it lays flatter when folded over, but this is personal preference.
Finally, once you have placed your item inside, you can tape or staple your new mailer closed.
This is a simple but effective solution and will help reduce waste and save money.
How it's working
Tips like this are incredibly helpful for saving you time and money and reducing waste. According to USPS, "the Postal Service processes and delivers 23.5 million packages each day." These packages will likely be a mixture of paper and plastic, but no matter the material, that is a staggering number.
Canopy Planet found that 3 billion trees are harvested every year for paper packaging, writing: "If the total amount of trees used for paper packaging each year were stacked end-to-end, it would wrap around the Earth 1,037 times."
🗣️ Which factor would most effectively motivate you to recycle your old batteries?
🔘 Getting money back 💰
🔘 Decluttering my junk drawer ✨
🔘 Helping the planet 🌎
🔘 I don't recycle batteries ❌
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Using simple hacks to limit our reliance on new packaging can help reduce these enormous numbers. In addition to flipping envelopes inside out, you can flip cardboard boxes, or even make boxes from other waste.
Another way to create a mailer is to upcycle a paper bag. While there seem to be too many paper packages being created, the good news is that in the United States, paper recycling is one of our most successful categories. The American Forest and Paper Association found that cardboard has a 93% recycling rate, with paper lagging behind at only 68%.
Deforestation is a huge problem for many reasons, including carbon sequestration and ecosystem services. However, with these high recycling rates, hopefully, those numbers will start to come down. Check your local recycling regulations to make sure your items are being recycled properly.
What people are saying
Commenters lamented the use of plastic in mailers while extolling this way to delay their trip to landfills.
One commenter hit back at folks complaining: "These mailers are one-time use and end up in a landfill. If you use them again, at least they get a second use."
Josh responded: "You get it, dude. It ain't much, but it's doing something!"
Someone else simply wrote: "Dope!"
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