RHINELANDER - From demolition to farming, and from light bulbs to newspapers, going green is taking over.
Now, add packing peanuts to the list!
Doctors Foster and Smith in Rhinelander switched from Styrofoam peanuts to green peanuts to use in packages they ship.
The peanuts are made of starch and dissolve in water.
Officials say because Foster and Smith caters to pet owners, the starch peanuts are safe for pets if they were to eat them.
Audrey Schmidt, Doctors Foster and Smith Warehouse Manager, says, "We've had customers saying that their pets like to play with styrofoam peanuts when they get them. We prefer that they didn't. The starch peanuts, if a dog or cat would eat it, it's not going to hurt them at all."
The starch peanuts are actually made at the facility from compacted starch using a heating machine that blows them up to their final size.
Schmidt says they can receive one truckload of the compacted starch that would have equaled 20+ truckloads of the old Styrofoam peanuts.
Story By: Chad Silber