Go Green — Celebrate Earth Day by Recycling eWaste
Earth Day 2013 marks our corporate-wide commitment to the reduction of electronic waste (eWaste) and signals the beginning of our national campaign to increase awareness of eWaste recycling among Postal Service™ employees, federal agencies, and American consumers. In this issue of the Postal Bulletin, we feature a wide range of articles and tips on recycling eWaste in the office, and providing your employees and customers with revenue generating opportunities for reselling personal electronic equipment through Maxback — a new service offered to the public. Many people may not realize that electronics is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world, and only a small fraction of this waste is recycled. Electronics contain some of the most hazardous wastes generated in the workplace and in our homes. Electronic equipment, such as cell phones, contain a range of toxic metals like lead, cadmium, and mercury, which can have significant adverse effects on groundwater quality when thrown away.
In 2012, the Postal Service joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Federal Green Challenge with the objective of recycling 50% of all our solid waste by the year 2015. We know this goal is achievable because, thanks to you, we recycled 48% of all solid waste in FY 2012. Electronic waste represents 2% of the total waste stream in America and nearly that same percentage within the Postal Service. If we recycle all of our electronic waste by FY 2015, we will meet our Federal Green Challenge goal and divert these wastes from landfills.
We are especially heartened by the remarkable accomplishments of the Topeka, Kansas Material Distribution Center, which recycled 1,267 tons of electronic waste in FY 2012. Despite this great accomplishment, a recent survey revealed that only about 25% of Postal Service supervisors are aware of corporate electronic recycling services in our organization. This issue of the Postal Bulletin provides instructions on taking advantage of the Topeka MDC electronic recycling program and promotes an innovative Postal Service program that allows you to resell recent model personal cell phones through the Maxback program. The Maxback program generates revenue for both the Postal Service and its customers, and we encourage you to share this information with your employees.
Finally, Earth Day also celebrates our sustainability initiatives. This issue offers guidance on hosting an Earth Day event using the theme of eWaste recycling. Earth Day officially falls on Monday, April 22nd, but you are encouraged to host any special events before or after that date. The date you choose for your Earth Day event should be dictated by a variety of factors including other local Earth Day activities within your community and the ease of coordinating such an event with the least possible disruption to Postal Service operations.
Please consider hosting a low- or no-cost Earth Day event. We also urge you to become familiar with the wide range of sustainability initiatives available through our Lean Green Teams. Earth Day may happen once a year, but our sustainability practices should become part of the fabric of our working lives. Go green, and celebrate Earth Day 2013 by recycling your eWaste.
Thomas G. Day
Chief Sustainability Officer
April 4, 2013
