I usually delete most of the press releases that come into my inbox — sorry, PR folks — but this one from the Postal Service caught my eye.
It’s about recycling boxes being installed in post offices, near the P.O. boxes:
The PO 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. PO 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).
We ran a story earlier this month looking at the Postal Service’s worsening financial condition, and the impact that “do-not-mail” legislation would have. (Since the Postal Service depends on advertising mail for an ever-larger share of its revenue, the legislation would be crippling.)
I interviewed several experts from the mailing industry who said most customers read their advertising mail, and denied that many Americans consider it “junk mail.”
But if the Postal Service is encouraging customers to recycle their mail — before they even get it home — maybe there is a lot of unwanted mail out there…
(Or, as Elise suggested, there could just be a huge littering problem at post offices?)
