End Plastics
7 Ways to Ship Greener
January 26, 2026
Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day falls on the last Monday of January, landing on January 26 in 2026. The date is a grave reminder that plastic is still being mass-produced all over the globe, just to be shipped to another part of the world, and thrown away somewhere else. While serving as an efficient type of package cushioning, plastic bubble wrap accounts for billions of tons of global plastic waste annually, as it’s not commonly reused and is particularly difficult to recycle.
Bubble wrap works because it is lightweight and shock-absorbing. The problem is what happens after the bubble wrap serves its original purpose; it goes from a home straight to the landfill. Bubble wrap takes centuries to fully decompose, all the while contributing to ozone layer depletion, killing honeybees, and reducing soil quality.
Fortunately, there are materials other than plastic on the market, giving anyone a chance to switch to more eco-friendly options. While seaweed-based solutions and bioplastics might not be widely available yet, eco-friendly bubble wrap alternatives are. Every step to reduce plastic usage matters, and choosing a greener cushioning can cut waste fast, even if you only ship a few boxes a month.
Whether you are a manager of a small business or occasionally send a mug for your grandma’s birthday, here are 7 ways to ship bubble wrap free:
1. Honeycomb Packing Paper (aka “Paper Bubble Wrap”)
Let’s start with the classic substitutes. Honeycomb packing paper can be purchased at chain stores as well as online. It is made of recycled kraft paper, a stronger paper type treated with sodium sulfide. In the process of paper-making, most of the sulfides in the pulp get converted into other molecules, so adding sodium sulfide into the mix helps keep the pulp charge stable and paper more resilient. Paper bubble wrap is arranged in a honeycomb pattern. Its shape features “air pockets,” like those in plastic bubble wrap. These pockets protect items by absorbing the impact upon collisions, causing them to “deflate.”
Honeycomb packing paper is best for business or frequent personal use, as it can only be purchased in large rolls. It works perfectly with mugs and jars, as it wraps around them tightly, and sharp objects since it isolates the sharp side and stays in place well. At the same time, it struggles with heavy items due to their potential to compress the paper, in which case double wrapping might be necessary. Luckily, it can be recycled with other cardboard paper as long as it is dry and clean.
2. Cornstarch Peanuts
The eco-friendly sibling of traditional polystyrene foam peanuts, cornstarch peanuts are biodegradable and non-toxic. They are lightweight and fill empty space well, preventing items from sliding around in a box.
They can be bought at chain stores as well as online and are a great option for business and private use. Cornstarch peanuts work best with lightweight and oddly-shaped items that may be difficult to wrap using other materials. However, cornstarch can soften in high humidity or when exposed to rain, so it is not the most effective at shipping in stormy or tropical climates. On the plusside, as such they can be composted or dissolved in water as a means of disposal.
3. Molded Pulp
If you’ve ever unboxed a phone or water bottle nested in a perfectly shaped tray, you’ve met molded pulp before! It is usually made of recycled paper and/or natural fibers. As the mold fits the product snugly, it can’t shift. This immobilizing effect is the secret: molded pulp protects by holding an item in place and absorbing impact through its pliable structure.
This alternative works best for repeated shipments of similarly shaped items and can be ordered online in customized or generic shapes. It is highly reliable for securing bottles, jars, small electronics, and anything else that does not have an intricate shape. Most molded pulps can be discarded with paper recycling, just check that your local recycling facility accepts things like egg cartons or other pulp food containers, and you’re good to go.
4. Paper Egg Cartons (and Other Grocery Packaging)
Paper egg cartons, while not a perfect substitute, are a decent “reuse what you have” option as they are specifically designed to protect eggs, which are known to be quite delicate, from cracking. Made of the same material as molded pulp inserts, they absorb impact with comparable efficiency. Egg cartons can be used for transporting small items that fit securely inside as well as cut into larger, dimpled pieces of multiple conjoined cups to fill space and take small kicks. For example, upon separating, the top and the bottom of the paper container take a form very similar to industrial molded pulp fillers that work by having their structure deformed instead of the object. Egg cartons can also be split into egg cups and repurposed as simple protective corners, with their rounded shape rather than ridges providing the unfilled space needed to soak up small impacts.
Egg cartons work best for personal shipping and transporting, helping secure small round items or preventing dents and scratches in bigger objects. They can be recycled or composted if the paper is dye-free, in which case the carton will be dark to light brown or white. Before sending them to the curb to be picked up by a recycling truck however, make sure your local facility accepts pulp food containers.
5. Crumpled Paper
Crumpled paper, especially its kraft variety, is the most accessible form of low-waste shipping. It fills space, absorbs impact, and is widely available.
Crumpled paper can be adopted for both personal and business uses, easily fulfilling most everyday shipping needs. It can even support the transportation of very fragile items if enough is used, since thicker cushioning deforms more under impact, allowing for more energy to be absorbed that would otherwise damage the item. When clean and dry, this alternative can be recycled with matching paper materials as a method of disposal.
6. Drinking Straw Cuttings
You bought a pack of paper straws, discovered they turn into soggy sadness, and now you have a whole box that you will never use. Don’t rush to throw them away just yet! Cut the straws into half-inch-long segments and use them as lightweight packing filler. They are not a wrap, but the squishy rings work well to absorb small impacts, especially when combined with kraft paper.
This option is perfect for personal use, filling small gaps and stabilizing light items. At the same time, it is not as great for heavy objects that could easily squish them and high-moisture situations, in which the straws could get soggy. Paper straws usually contain adhesives and additives, so their final resting place will be in the trash, but repurposing them as cushioning can allow a bad purchase to die with dignity. For a more sustainable option, compostable straws can also be used.
7. Old Fabric
Old towels, T-shirts, sweaters, and pillowcases can be incredible cushioning, especially for non-commercial shipping. Similarly, to how running socks can soften the impact of feet slamming into the ground, various fabrics can protect items they are wrapped around.
These are best for shipping to friends and family as well as moving houses. While cloth is not as lightweight as other alternatives, its fibrous structure is very shock-absorbent and can even protect items on the hefty side. This is the easiest option to reuse and can be disposed of by donating to a thrift store or in accordance with disposal instructions for its comprising materials. For example, most textiles can be recycled by dropping them into designated “Clothing Recycling” drop-off containers like the ones found around Maryland and New York.
The “Clovely” Future of Shipping
Plastic bubble wrap is not going to vanish overnight, but as society takes more responsibility for the waste we produce, the number of alternatives keeps growing. Researchers are experimenting with materials previously deemed pure waste, like garlic clove peels, which are now being considered the next biodegradable plastic material option.
In the meantime, while we wait for these alternatives of the future to arrive, we can do our best to minimize the amount of waste we create today. The ongoing switch to biodegradable alternatives has already eliminated plastic waste on a multi-million-ton scale. This includes Amazon’s effort to eliminate plastic from its packaging, resulting in almost 15 billion plastic air cushions avoiding the landfill every year.
Swapping out bubble wrap for reusable cushioning is a small change that helps move the global production in a more eco-friendly direction. Many of the listed innovations are already proving that protecting products doesn’t have to mean adding more persistent plastic waste to the world. With the United States staying in the top of the global plastic pollution, Earthday.org encourages US citizens to sign the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act as a way to show that we are ready for better, non-plastic solutions to our daily needs.
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