Go Green — Celebrate Earth Day by Recycling eWaste
Earth Day 2014 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 as well as employee recycling solutions for personal electronic devices through the USPS BlueEarth™ Federal Recycling Program. 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. 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 1,512 tons of electronic waste in FY 2013. 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 safely and properly dispose of personal electronic waste items such as cell phones and laptops through the USPS BlueEarth™ Federal Recycling Program. The Federal Recycling Program generates revenue for both the Postal Service (at zero cost to Postal Service employees) and Federal 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 Tuesday, 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 2014 by recycling your eWaste.
Thomas G. Day
Chief Sustainability Officer
April 3, 2014
