Can you imagine a world where each of us buried our trash in a big hole in our back yard? Maybe not, but each year Americans generate more than 209 million tons of trash, which is disposed of in municipal solid waste landfills. And landfills are not much more than well-designed holes in someone else’s backyard. In the last 20 years, more than 80 percent of the landfills in our nation have closed, either because they couldn’t meet modern landfill requirements or simply exceeded their capacity. While the number of landfills continues to shrink, Americans continue to generate more trash — and a significant amount of that trash is paper waste.
Undeliverable Standard Mail (USM) and Discarded Lobby Mail (DLM) are the largest components of our waste stream. These two waste streams comprise a variety of mixed paper; from glossy magazines and catalogs to newsprint and plain paper, but are not always 100 percent paper. They may contain plastic film covers, staples, or glassine windows, all of which are contaminants that must be removed by pulp and paper mills. Minimizing the quantity of these items in the recycling stream can speed up the recycling process.
n Paper accounts for one third of the waste stream in the United States (paper and paperboard account for nearly 81 million tons of the 209 million tons of solid waste generated each year).
n Mixed Paper accounts for 73 percent and cardboard accounts for 14 percent of the total USPS® waste stream.
n By recycling DLM, customers have helped keep about 22,000 tons of mail out of landfills, and earned USPS more than $1.75 million in recycling revenue.
n In FY 2012, recycling generated nearly 24 million dollars in revenue for the Postal Service™.
The Postal Service is responsible for managing waste from mail that cannot be delivered and mail that PO Box customers discard in our facilities. When USM and DLM are discarded, they become part of our waste stream and add to our disposal costs. USM and DLM can be turned into a revenue source, if recycled. Recycling these materials promotes the sustainable reuse of natural resources, prevents pollution, and reduces waste. PO Box customers can help the USPS make significant reductions in solid waste disposal costs by recycling their mail. The Postal Service meets our customer’s environmental expectations by offering recycling right in the lobby. Specially designed secure recycling containers are available through the Topeka Materials Distribution Center for use in Post Office™ lobbies.
n Start a recycling program for discarded lobby mail. Secure, locking lobby mail recycling containers encourage customers to discard mail in an environmentally friendly manner.
n Participate in a backhaul recycling program. If your servicing plant offers backhaul recycling for mixed paper, follow established procedures for placarding and verification of waste mail.
n Keep non-paper products out of paper recycling bins. Label your workroom paper recycling containers and use them only for the recyclable papers listed on the label.
n Reduce your trash dumpster size and/or the frequency of pickups. If your facility is actively recycling, you should see a noticeable trash reduction. Help your facility and the postal service capture savings from reduced trash disposal costs.
n Use designated workroom recycling containers. Keep all paper, cardboard, and plastic out of the dumpster.
n Keep contaminants out of the recycling container. Contaminants make valuable recyclable materials unrecyclable, create unnecessary waste, increase costs, and decrease revenue.
n Label the recycling containers. If the containers in your workroom area are not labeled, let your supervisor know. The labels should say “mixed paper only”.
n Promote lobby recycling. Remind customers to use the USPS secure lobby recycling containers to discard their mail.
n Recycled mixed paper has a second life. It is used to make printer paper, paper bags, paper towels, and cardboard products. It also saves money and generates revenue.
n Your efforts count. If each Postal Service employee recycled all of his or her waste daily, we could reduce solid waste by more than a quarter million tons a year.
n Get involved. Learn more about how to recycle at the USPS Sustainability website: http://blue.usps.gov/sustainability/.
To find information on recycling containers, lobby recycling posters, and customer notices:
n Visit the Office of Sustainability website at http://blue.usps.gov/sustainability/.
n View the Discarded Lobby Mail Recycle Guide at http://blue.usps.gov/sustainability/earthday.htm. Look for the Quick Link: “Recycling Tips and Tools.”
— Corporate Sustainability Initiatives,
Office of Sustainability, 5-2-13
