Supply Management
HANDBOOK AS-701 REVISION
Donation of Collection Boxes
Effective November 9, 2006, Handbook AS-701, Material Management, is revised to update the policy concerning
the donation of collection boxes to the general public and
federal agencies.
Handbook AS-701, Material Management
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6 Asset Recovery: Redistribution, Recycling,
and Disposal
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64 Recycling and Disposal
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646 Proprietary Items Requiring Special
Processing
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646.5 Post Office Boxes
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646.53 Donations
[Revise 646.53 to read as follows:]
Postal Service managers will not grant approval to donate
Post Office box units or collection boxes in response to
requests from academic institutions and nonprofit organizations. All actions concerning the above items will be conducted in accordance with the procedures outlined in
647.26. The practice of donating to academic institutions
and nonprofit organizations has been suspended.
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646.8 Collection Boxes
646.81 Policy
[Revise 646.81 to read as follows:]
Collection boxes, including post type, street collection, and
relay storage boxes, will not be sold to the public. They
must be destroyed by the owning Postal Service entity and
sold as scrap. Refurbished collection boxes designated for
sale as scrap must be determined to be environmentally
safe. The paint on the box cannot contain lead or other
environmentally harmful substances (see 647.271). Collection boxes, including post type, street collection, and relay
storage boxes, will not be loaned to non-federal agencies
or organizations. Postal Service entities solicited by federal
agencies for the loan of collection boxes of all types must
obtain approval from the Inspection Service office in their
area of operation before complying with or denying a
request. The district material management specialist and
the MSC located in the area of concern will be notified of all
pending requests and all actions taken thereafter by the
functional manager or material accountability officer
(MAO). Once approved, the lending Postal Service entity
will ensure that an audit trail is established and maintained
until the item is returned. The district material management
specialist (DMMS) will ensure that the loan location MAO
establishes and maintains a loan file. The DMMS will also
maintain a file copy of PS Form 1590, Supplies and Equipment Receipt. Collection boxes designated as serviceable
can be reassigned or reallocated to other Postal Service
units. The Postal Service will use PS Form 1590 (signed by
both parties) to monitor all collection box loans (see exhibit
541.27), for these transactions.
646.82 Loans
[Revise 646.82 to read as follows:]
If these items are lent to a federal agency for exhibit purposes, as in a museum, there is no requirement to change
the color or remove the indicia. If they are to be used for
any other purpose, the indicia must be removed, the box
must be painted (any color other than Postal Service colors), and the item must be prominently marked "Not for the
Deposit of Mail." Under either of the above circumstances,
the locks must be removed. An agreement not to sell the
item or permit the box to be used in the collection of mail
must be entered on PS Form 1590 prior to obtaining the
recipient's signature. Do not move the item from the location noted on the loan agreement without informing and
obtaining the agreement of the MAO. The MAO must
inform the DMMS of all requests for moves. A copy of the
updated PS Form 1590 will be forwarded by the MAO to the
DMMS for filing. The MAO will annotate the PS Form 1590
each time the file is reviewed and the loan status verified.
The MAO and the DMMS will review all PS Form 1590 loan
files quarterly.
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647 Methods and Priority
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647.2 Methods
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647.26 Donation to a State Agency, Public Body, or
Nonprofit Organization
647.261 Policy
[Revise 647.261 to read as follows:]
Surplus material that is unmarketable, excluding collection
boxes and Post Office boxes, may be donated to state
agencies, public bodies, and nonprofit organizations.
Collection boxes and Post Office boxes that are designated
surplus to Postal Service needs will not be donated to state
agencies, public bodies, or nonprofit organizations, but will
be recycled or destroyed and scrapped. The Postal Service
does not offer collection boxes to a public body defined as
any state, territory, or possession of the United States, any
political subdivision thereof, the District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any American Indian
tribe. Materials classified other than collection boxes and
designated surplus, nonsensitive, expendable, or obsolete
are referenced in 647.262 and may be dealt with
accordingly.
647.262 Authorization
[Revise 647.262 to read as follows:]
The installation head or designee must authorize donations
of nonsensitive, expendable, obsolete, or surplus material.
Refer to 645 and 646 for specific disposal procedures relating to the donation of items categorized "proprietary" or
"requiring special approval." The manager of the MSC must
authorize donations of capital or sensitive property.
647.263 Procedure
[Revise 647.263 to read as follows:]
The installation head must obtain a written request, signed
by an officer of the qualifying agency, that includes the
agency's tax-exempt identification number and telephone
number. Upon receipt of the written request, the installation
head or designee will prepare and process PS Form 969
and attach the documentation to the form. The installation
head or designee notifies the requesting agency that the
material is ready for pickup or shipping. If any packing or
shipping costs are incurred, the requesting agency must
pay them. The installation head or designee must obtain a
signature for receipt of the material (e.g., on the original
written request).
647.264 Donation to Foreign Government
[Revise 647.264 to read as follows:]
Consideration may be given by the installation head or the
assigned designee on a case-by-case basis to donate
surplus equipment other than collection boxes and Post Office boxes to a foreign government. Requests for specific
equipment will normally be received from International
Postal Affairs. Approval to donate any equipment will be
granted by the manager of Supply Management Operations and National Supply Management Programs (NSMP).
Surplus equipment located in the field will be processed for
shipment through the NSMP and MSCs. Supply Material
Management will process equipment located at the MDC.
647.27 Destruction and Landfill Disposal
647.271 Policy
[Revise 647.271 to read as follows:]
Postal Service entities that designate collection boxes for
destruction must use the following methods of disposal in
the order listed below: (1) recycling and (2) scrapping.
Methodologies used to process recyclables normally generate residual (waste) that cannot be sold, reprocessed, or
reused. Postal Service facilities, offices, departments, and
entities will not use landfills to dispose of collection boxes.
The processes noted above are the only authorized methods of destruction or disposal for collection boxes. The
methods above comply with the Environmental Protection
Agency, state and local laws, and Postal Service regulations concerning the destruction, disposal, or recycling of
metal objects.
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next printed
edition of Handbook AS-701 and into the next online
update available on the Postal ServiceTM PolicyNet Web
site.
• Go to http://blue.usps.gov.
• Under "Essential Links" in the left-hand column, click
on References.
• Under "References" in the right-hand column, under
"Policies," click on PolicyNet.
• Then click on HBKs.
(The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet Web
site is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.)
— National Supply Management Programs,
Supply Management, 11-9-06
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