The U.S. Postal Service® has launched an exciting new program to assist federal agencies to recycle on a national level. The USPS BlueEarth™ Federal Recycling Program allows the customer agencies and their employees (including USPS® employees) to repurpose and recycle qualified end-of-life products free of charge. If your facility decides to host an eCycle event using the USPS BlueEarth™ Federal Recycling Program (see companion article on page 8), it must be for USPS employees or participating agency employees and for their personal electronic devices.
Most federal agencies have some type of recycling program in place, but usually serve only the largest facilities or the headquarters location, and require a truck pick-up. The USPS BlueEarth™ Federal Recycling Program provides every federal agency with the opportunity to recycle at every location, no matter how large or small. Since the program is web-based, it is as simple as printing a label and sending recyclables out with the mail. This process makes recycling easy enough for every federal location to participate:
“The USPS BlueEarth™ Federal Recycling Program does not require federal agencies to replace any of their existing recycling programs. It can easily supplement recycling programs already in place, said Tom Day, chief sustainability officer for the U.S. Postal Service.”
The USPS BlueEarth™ Federal Recycling Program is free (no shipping or disposition costs) to every federal agency.
The program is divided into two categories:
n A recycling program for federal agencies on a national level for government equipment, such as ink jet and toner cartridges and small electronics shipped via USPS from a government location.
n A recycling program for federal agency employees on a national level for disposal of their personal property, such as ink jet and toner cartridges and small electronics shipped via USPS from the employee’s home.
In each of the two categories above, the employee follows a simple process to access a customized website (http://blueearth.usps.gov), input the required information, print a label, seal the items in a nondescript box provided by the agency or employee, and submit the parcel to a mail carrier through current standard mailing procedures.
The USPS BlueEarth™ Federal Recycling Program provides a brand new revenue stream for the U.S. Postal Service and assists federal agencies in meeting President Obama’s Executive Order 13514, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance, with reporting and analysis done on every item exchanged.
Currently, there are eleven federal agencies participating, including the U.S. Postal Service, each of which is in the process of promoting employee participation in the USPS BlueEarth™ Federal Recycling Program. For information on how your agency can participate, send an email to: Sustainability@usps.gov.
