Achieving Zero Waste: A Greening the Mail Initiative

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Achieving Zero Waste A Greening the Mail
Initiative
Presented by Ronald Robbins Co-Chair, Improving
Mail Recyclability and Source Reduction
Subcommittee, Greening the Mail Task Force
Colchester, VT PCC Workshop September 17,2008
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Overview

• The Vision of Zero Waste
• How do We achieve it?
• Customer Focused Zero Waste
• Source Reduction
• Waste Reduction
• Discarded Lobby Mail Recycling
• The Backhaul Concept Contracts
• Greenhouse Gas Implications
• Conclusions

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The Vision of Zero Waste

• A Zero Waste strategy improves upon "cleaner
  production" and "pollution prevention" strategies
  by providing a visionary endpoint that leads us
  to take larger, more innovative steps.
• Two Basic Sub-Strategies
• Source Reduction Reducing Undeliverable as
  Addressed (UAA) Mail
• Waste Reduction Recycling 100 of All Waste
  (incl. UAA and DLM Mail)
• Managing Waste as a Commodity

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How Do we Achieve Zero Waste?

• Start with a Vision of Sustainability
• Inventory Major USPS Solid Waste Streams
• Show Market Opportunities for Commodity Sales
• Leverage Strategies that minimize waste sorting
• Work with Mailers to Reduce UAA Mail and
• Right Understanding Leads to Right Action
• Know your Costs and Market Opportunities

For more ideas see www.zerowaste.org
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Customer Focused Zero Waste

• Zero Waste Extends to Our Customers
• 1st Reduce Costs of UAA Mail (Source Reduction
  everyone benefits)
• All Mail is Recyclable
• USPS Northeast Area provides Lobby Recycling
• Serves as the Model for the National Rollout of
  Lobby Recycling
• Provides Solution Where Community Program Does
  not Recycle Mail

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FY04-FY08 UAA Volumes / Costs
Impact Of Undeliverable As-Addressed (UAA)
Customer Focused Zero Waste Source Reduction
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Strategic Transformation Plan
Customer Focused Zero Waste Source Reduction

• Postal Service Goal To Cut Cost Of Processing
  Undeliverable-As-Addressed (UAA) Mail In Half By
  2010
• High-Quality Addressing Current, Correct, And
  Complete
• Improve List Quality
• Manage Change-of-Address
• Success Depends Upon Mailers And Postal Service
  Working Together To Achieve The Goal!

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Customer Focused Zero Waste Source Reduction
Moving Customers And The Mail

• Each Year, Approximately 16 Of The American
  Population Moves Or Changes Their Mailing Address
• USPS Processes Over 43 Million Permanent
  Change-of-Address Orders Each Year
• Number One Reason Why Mail Is Undeliverable-As-Add
  ressed
• 68 Of UAA Related To Customer Moves

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Move Update Requirement Coming Changes
Customer Focused Zero Waste Source Reduction

• New Move Update Requirements Scheduled For
  Implementation In November 2008
• Federal Register Announcement Published September
  28, 2007
• Standard Mail Added
• Frequency Changed To Every 95 Days
• Same Options Available For Compliance With Move
  Update Requirement
• Alternative Method Not Allowed For Standard
  Mail

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Move Update Methods
NCOALink (Change-of-Address)
FASTforward
ACS Address Change Service
Intelligent Mail OneCode ACS
Ancillary Service Endorsements
Alternative Methods
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For More Information
www.ribbs.usps.gov
www.usps.com/ncsc
Customer Support
1-800-238-3150
Your Postal Customer Council Is Always A Great
Resource For Information!
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Economics of Zero Waste (/ton)
Customer Focused Zero Waste Waste Reduction
For Metal Market Values See http//www.metalprice
s.com/
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Turning Waste into A Commodity
Customer Focused Zero Waste Waste Reduction
Baled Shredded Undeliverable Mail Increases
Value Prevents Identify Theft
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Customer Focused Zero Waste Waste Reduction
Discarded Lobby Mail Recycling

• Discarded Lobby Mail Recycling Goals
• Increase USPS revenue through the sale of
  recyclable materials
• Decrease USPS solid waste disposal costs through
  increased recycling
• Enhance the public image of the USPS and practice
  Corporate Social Responsibility

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Internal Program Drivers

• Management Commitment
• Overall Total Costs of Handling UAA Mail 365
  million in 2008
• Our Recycling Revenue goal is 40 million
• by 2010
• Discarded Lobby Mail is also an enormous solid
  waste disposal cost
• 15.6 Million Post Office Boxes in the USA
• Each Post Office Box generates 77 pounds of
  standard mail per year rule of thumb for
  determining DLM waste volumes

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External Program Drivers

• Heightened Public Visibility
• Public congressional concerns with recycling of
  mail
• GAO audit of USPS recycling program
• USPS is most trusted federal agency in America
• Enables USPS to Recycle Discarded Mail
• Our actions have synergistic impacts on recycling
  in the Direct Marketing industry and among
  consumers

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Analysis of Discarded Lobby Mail Generation

• 15.6 Million Post Office Boxes generate the
  following volumes of Discarded Lobby Mail

Nationwide, an estimate 604,566 tons of DLM was
generated in FY07
An estimated 356,694 tons of DLM was discarded in
USPS Lobbies in FY07
Source Calculations derived from 2006 Household
Diary Study 2007 Postmaster Generals Annual
Report and USPS National Delivery Statistics
website
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Discarded Lobby Mail Key Elements

• Postmaster Commitment
• But Employees are the key to success
• A District Recycling Plan Creates buy in
• Standard Box Customer Notice
• Backhauling Infrastructure
• Standard Blue Recycling Containers
• Identifies Acceptable Mixed Paper types.

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Discarded Lobby Mail Container
USPS Recycle Message
Conventional Recycle Logo
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USPS SOAR Logo Saving of Americas Resources
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Northeast Area DLM Recycling

• 2007 FINDINGS
• 7,175 tons of DLM recycled in 2007
• 93 of Areas 3,200 Retail facilities
  Participate
• DLM Recycling generated 292,000
• Substantially reduced Retail trash and waste
  disposal costs

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NORTHEAST AREA
New Hampshire 030-038 Vermont 054,056-059
Recycling Contracts November 2008
Goodman Sons
Albany 120-123,128-139
Maine 039-049

• Western New York
• 140-149

Massachusetts 010-019,055
Boston 021-022
Solvay Paperboard
AmerisouthRecycling
Southeastern New England 020,023-029
J.C. Fibers
Connecticut 060-069
Willimantic Waste Paper
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Nearly 9/10thths of a Billion Pounds Recycled
USPS Northeast Area Ten Year Summary 1997 to 2006
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2006 USPS Northeast Area GHG Reductions
MTCE Metric Ton Carbon Equivalent
85,203 MTCE This is equivalent to the
elimination of 35,823,424 gallons of gasoline
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USPS Northeast Area Carbon Footprint

• Recycling Waste prevention offset Delivery
  Fleet Greenhouse Gas Emissions

MTCE Metric Tons Carbon Equivalent
Source EPA Warm Model Calculations 2008
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Conclusions

• Leadership Creates Zero Waste Vision
• Continual Improvement essential
• Team work, Contracts, Vehicles, Plans tracking
  system are key to success
• Long Term Sustainable Program
• Increase mailer usage of Move Update Programs,
  especially the Intelligent Mail Barcode Program
• Establish nationwide Recycling Infrastructure
• Strategic Commitment to Recycling
• Consistent with USPS Sustainability Climate
  Change Initiatives
• Program Expansion aimed at meeting Customers
  needs

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Conclusions

• You can help reduce waste at the source by
  taking advantage of USPS products and services
  that improve address quality and the USPS will do
  its best to make the mailing industry
  sustainable, now and in the future