FinnStyle Opens Collection Center for Packing Peanuts

Online, April 28, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Minneapolis, Minnesota - FinnStyle, the nation's largest retail store of modern Finnish design, is now a Peanut Hotline collection center for plastic packaging loose fill peanuts.

FinnStyle's new location (160 Glenwood Ave, near the Minneapolis Farmers Market) will accept clean plastic peanuts from local residents and retailers and reuse them in their outgoing packages. Store manager Elina Ruppert says, "Plastic peanuts provide excellent protection for our shipments and can be reused many times. By joining the Hotline, we are providing our neighbors a convenient way to reuse plastic peanuts and adding to our effort to be a "green retailer" by recycling and helping others in the Twin Cities to do so".

The Peanut Hotline, founded July of 1991, is the Plastic Loose Fill council's nationwide program for reusing packing peanuts. The Hotline, 800-828-2214 and loosefillpackaging.com, is a 24-hour, toll-free directory service for consumers to learn which local businesses accept plastic peanuts for reuse. Most sites are typically small packaging or gift shops. They welcome the free packaging material, the customer referrals, and the chance to reduce waste and help the environment.

Most people who use the Hotline learn about it with a mail-order purchase. Over 200 catalog companies use package inserts printed with Peanut Hotline information. Nationwide, Hotline collection centers report that the Hotline is popular in their communities because residents appreciate how reuse contributes to environmental savings.

The Plastic Loose Fill Council, a national trade association headquartered in Oakland, Calif. maintains the Peanut Hotline website, which provides information on the use of plastic loose fill or packing peanuts. FinnStyle reuses the packing peanuts for their online store www.FinnStyle.com.