‘Read, Respond, Recycle’ Mail

U.S. Postal Service Brings Paper Recycling to Grand Canyon Post Office Lobby

GRAND CANYON, AZ—The “Three Rs” take on new meaning as the United States Postal Service makes it easier for Post Office box customers across the country to recycle their mail, including recently at the Grand Canyon Post Office.

“Read, Respond, Recycle” is the banner under which the Postal Service reaches out to postal customers with a convenient, environmentally responsible alternative to bringing home or discarding their mail.

The Postal Service has a long and proud environmental record, and annually recycles more than 1 million tons of paper, plastic and other materials. The Post Office Box Lobby Recycling program builds on the tremendous success of similar programs that have been ongoing in the northeast part of the United States for more than 10 years.

The P.O. Box lobby recycling program places secure recycling bins in Post Office lobbies. All bins are locked with a key and the opening is slim – about the width of a news magazine. The containers are made of recycled plastic using 30 percent post-consumer materials, which is consistent with the EPA Recovered Materials Advisory Notice. P.O. Box customers are encouraged to remove and open their mail (read), take whatever action is necessary (respond) and simply place the rest of their mail into the bin (recycle).

“The message today is simple. Mail is recyclable,” Postmaster General John Potter said. “We are committed to helping consumers ‘go green’ through a comprehensive approach to mail production, delivery and recycling that helps create a sustainable future for generations to come.”

Each year, the Postal Service purchases more than $200 million in products containing recycled content. Many of the containers that hold and move mail in the system are made from recycled materials, as are stamped envelopes, postcards, stamp booklet covers – even the adhesive used in postage stamps is biodegradable. And the Postal Service is the only shipping company in the country to earn Cradle to Cradle™ certification for all Priority Mail and Express Mail packages and envelopes based on the environmental attributes of the materials used in the packaging.

“’Read, respond, recycle’ is the message we have conveyed to our customers to show them that they can do their part to help the environment right here at the Grand Canyon Post Office,” said Grand Canyon Postmaster Kent Boyack. The Postal Service is proud to work along with the National Park Service to bring recycling to the Grand Canyon Post Office as part of the overall recycling effort at the Grand Canyon, Boyack added.

A complete list of participating post offices can be found at Earth911.com, using the word “mail” in the search engine. The list is sorted by ZIP Code. More information on USPS green initiatives and consumer products can be found at usps.com/green.