USPS Post Office Box Lobby Recycling program

{{Infobox company

| name = Post Office Box Lobby Recycling program

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| foundation = October 28, 2008

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| locations = over 8,064
(as of April 2010){{cite news | url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/03/going-green-postal-service-offers-more-lobby-recycling-bins/1 | title=Postal Service: Stop! We'll help you recycle that mail | newspaper=USA Today | date=March 1, 2010 | access-date=May 1, 2012 | author=Koch, Wendy}}

| area_served = United States

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| services = Paper recycling

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| homepage = {{url|https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2012/pb22334/html/cover_006.htm|Program website}}

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File:Pile of junk mail.jpg]]

The Post Office Box Lobby Recycling program is a project of the United States Postal Service (USPS) that was created on October 28, 2008, for mail customers to recycle paper items, using recycling bins placed in the customer lobbies of post office buildings.{{cite web | url=http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2009/pr09_026.pdf | title='Read, Respond, Recycle' Mail | publisher=United States Postal Service | work=Release No. 09-026 | date=March 12, 2009 | access-date=May 1, 2012 | quote=program launched here today builds on the tremendous success of similar programs that have been ongoing}} Some of the goals of the program are to reduce the amount of paper waste going to landfills, which helps to reduce the consumption of fiber from trees used for paper production and greenhouse gas emissions associated with waste disposal.{{cite web | url=http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/article/20100216/NEWS03/302169997/usps-expands-recycling-program-to-2-500-additional-sites | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130209084320/http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/article/20100216/NEWS03/302169997/usps-expands-recycling-program-to-2-500-additional-sites | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 9, 2013 | title=USPS expands recycling program to 2,500 additional sites | publisher=Waste & Recycling News | date=February 16, 2010 | access-date=May 1, 2012 | author=Johnson, Jim }} USPS receives revenue from selling the material, and no tax dollars are used to fund the project. USPS was reported as having recycled over {{convert|200000|ST|lk=on|abbr=off}} of waste in 2009, including paper, plastics and other waste.{{cite web | url=http://www.americanrecycler.com/0410/149recycling.shtml | title=Recycling in post offices increases | publisher=American Recycler (newspaper) | date=April 2010 | access-date=May 1, 2012}}

Participation

As of 2010, some U.S. post offices do not participate in the program, and sometimes recycle paper items independently of the program, such as in bins in their employee work areas.{{cite web | url=http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2010/01/22/north_penn_life/news/doc4b57989b3c883831191442.txt?viewmode=fullstory | title=Not all post offices on board with USPS recycling program | publisher=Montgomery News | date=January 22, 2010 | access-date=May 1, 2012 | author=Bingaman, Brian}} Some reasons for non-participation are building space constraints and limited personnel at some U.S. post offices. At some post offices, mail received that cannot be delivered is recycled.

Timeline

In March 2009, the total number of bins was increased by 1,844, to a total of nearly 5,900 recycling bins.{{cite news | url=http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/03/16/columbia-post-office-starts-lobby-recycling-program/ | title=Letter: Post office starts recycling program | newspaper=Columbia Missourian | date=March 16, 2009 | access-date=May 1, 2012 | author=Herron, Joyce (Acting Postmaster) | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214112806/http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/03/16/columbia-post-office-starts-lobby-recycling-program/ | archive-date=February 14, 2012 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}{{cite web | url=http://www.recyclingtoday.com/news/news.asp?ID=14894 | title=USPS Brings Paper Recycling to Post Office Lobbies | publisher=Recycling Today Magazine | date=March 2009 | access-date=April 27, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829032856/http://www.recyclingtoday.com/news/news.asp?ID=14894 | archive-date=August 29, 2013 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }} {{resize|.9em|(Functional article link: [http://microshred.com/florida-shredder/usps-brings-paper-recycling-to-post-office-lobbies "USPS Brings Paper Recycling to Post Office Lobbies"]}}

In April 2010, it was reported that the number of post offices participating in the program had increased to 8,064.

Security

File:United States Postal Service "Slim Jim" mail recycling bin.jpg

The program uses {{convert|23|gal|L|adj=on}}-capacity plastic bins, which USPS refers to as "Slim Jims".{{Cite web |title=Use Slim Jims — Secured Lobby Recycling Containers |url=https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2012/pb22334/html/cover_026.htm |access-date=2021-02-14 |website=United States Postal Service |language=en}} The bins have lockable lids and have a narrow insertion slot to maintain customer privacy and limit the potential of discarded mail being stolen for the harvesting of personal information.

References

External links

(February 12, 2010.) [http://about.usps.com/what-we-are-doing/green/news/100212-recycling.htm "Recycling in Post Offices expanding."] [https://www.usps.com/ United States Postal Service].
[http://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2012/pb22334/html/cover_006.htm "Start a Recycling Program for Discarded Lobby Mail."] Postal Bulletin 22334. United States Postal Service.
[http://about.usps.com/what-we-are-doing/green/welcome.htm "USPS: Sustainability."] United States Postal Service.

[https://theliteblue.com/ "TheLiteBlue: Your Source for USPS Information and Updates."]

Category:Recycling in the United States

Category:United States Postal Service