I am totally loving this idea that I "got" (Yes, shamelessly stole.) from a friend. Each year, he sends me a box of cookies for the holidays (one of the reasons I love him) and what does he use to cushion the goodies inside?
Popcorn!
I cannot tell you how much I love popcorn. I lived off the stuff when I worked for a cinema (for two years) and could still eat it for every meal, every day. Popcorn is the junk food of the gods.
AND it's green package filler!
Popcorn absorbs a whole lot of the impact of packages being tossed around (Yeah, I know you, Royal Mail... I know you don't give a damn about me and my cookies.) and when you're done with it, you can feed it to the birds! Or, just thrown away if you're a bird hater - it'll break down quickly enough.
(I know what you're wondering... Did she try the popcorn to see if it was edible? Yes, yes she did... Though she wouldn't recommend you try it. Bleh.)
According to this article by allbusiness.com, even large companies are starting to use popcorn as packing material. Bye, bye squeaky, clingy polystyrene peanuts... Your day is done.