The following editorial appeared Thursday in the Everett Herald.

If you need heavy-duty garden shears to cut through the plastic to get to the roll of stamps you’ve purchased, the stamps are over-packaged.

The 1982 Tylenol-tampering case explains the over-zealous packing of over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and supplements. But it doesn’t explain why a single phone card or tiny electronic replacement parts need to be wrapped in pounds of plastic.

Fortunately for the environment, and consumers, many companies have discovered that excess packaging costs them money. Can’t get any more bottom line than that. The New York Times recently reported that several big-name companies are making packaging changes to cut costs and address growing environmental concerns.

Coke plans to cut the plastics in its Dasani water bottles by 7 percent over the next five years by tweaking the shape of the bottle and the cap.

Proctor & Gamble has introduced rigid tubes for Crest toothpaste to be shipped and sold without boxes.

And Coke recently redesigned its contour bottle to be lighter and more impact-resistant. The new bottle looks smaller, but holds the same amount of liquid as the old bottle. “Our challenge is persuading consumers that they are getting the same volume in a better bottle,” said Scott Vitters, Coca-Cola’s director of sustainable packaging.

On the other hand, some companies are trying to save money by using less packaging, while also offering less product. On Tuesday, General Mills Inc. announced their cereals will cost less starting later this month, but come in smaller boxes with less cereal. Some box sizes will be eliminated altogether.

Pressure on businesses to abandon over-the-top packaging is growing, especially since Wal-Mart Stores promised to become “packaging neutral” by 2025. Just as Wal-Mart pushes its 66,000 vendors to lower prices, it is now insisting on lighter packaging. The “packaging neutral” goal means that through recycling, reusing or even composting, it will try to recover as much material as was used in the packaging going through its stores.

The EPA estimates that packaging accounts for about one-third of all the trash that’s thrown away in the United States.

Consumers can help stamp out over-packaging by patronizing businesses that are trying to do something about the problem. Or by avoiding and/or writing to companies that are part of the problem. Buying in bulk and choosing items with recycled packaging can help. Less is more. Just try opening a new CD or DVD. Perhaps all that expensive, shrink-wrapped madness is one reason people steal music and movies off the Internet.