The carbon sequestration postage stamp: help me brainstorm it

Karen Donnachaidh wrote: Suggestion:

What if the USPS had a take back system in place, where when they deliver your daily mail, they pick up your unwanted (junk) mail and already read mail that could possibly end up in the trash. Then a company that recycles paper (i.e. Cintas, I'm sure many others) could pick up the load. This would be great for the rural areas that don't have curbside recycling bins provided for them. Just need to be able to keep your outgoing mail and recyclables separate. Divided mailbox?

It would be really great if there could be something similar to the FTC and FCC's Do Not Call Registry. I think a Do Not Mail Registry would be harder to implement. I know you can individually contact businesses and request to be removed from their mailing list but that's a pain.

I am good friends with our local postmistress and the staff at the post office. They fret up front about the decrease in junk mail, as that used to be the big cash cow for the USPS. They used to be able to sell merchandise, and that was actually a popular thing, even in this small place, and a lot of revenue was generated for the service that way. Then it was decided to discontinue the merchandise. They went into the Priority Mail which is basically trackable freight, provided packaging (people taking the 'free' supplies, turning the boxes inside out and using them for cheaper rates is why now all the boxes are printed inside with 'Priority Mail'. If it has Priority Mail on it in any form it MUST go Priority Mail rates) to standardize packages which makes handling easier and have the 'if it fits it ships' flat rates (I have gotten near the 70# domestic weight limit for the large box, that takes doing--think brake rotors). Don't mention about you went e-catalog or they get upset. I do send a lot of PM and when I do, I say I'm just trying to keep them in business (by using them instead of FedEx or UPS) and usually get thanked. The Post Office is bleeding, hence restricted hours, no more curbside in a lot of places, (here you get a free post box if you live here and must fetch your own. They still service the Rural Routes, but not in town). Their plus here is that they handle light freight without the difficulty of trying to get ahold of the other shipping companies for outbound (no real place in town to ship out on FedEx or UPS)

I applaud the stamp bit and I will buy them for the few letters I send anymore. I went e-bill to save paper and resources, not to mention money and time.

The issue with the recycling is similar to something called Wecycle which ran in Denver for awhile. It went broke. It was a good venture, they were helping recycle paper, cardboard, plastics, glass, aluminum and steel (cans), but. The cost outweighed the effort. This was in a major urban metro and they couldn't sustain it. Out here where I live now, we are literally the end of everywhere. To haul that stuff, process it, and ship it to recycle all costs. It needs space, manpower, and resources. I strive instead to locally (self) reduce the amount of my trash stream as there is no way it could remain viable in a small area. I tried for awhile in Colorado Springs (south of Denver) with the recycling offered by my trash company. It cost me $10 more a month, I had to buy the totebins that were color coded to put my sorted trash in, and one day I watched them come along with a truck and dump all three bins into the same truck. I asked the driver and he said they were just hauling it away as there was nobody to do the next step. So all I was doing was rinsing, sorting and paying for an extra truck run and they were sending it to the same landfill (Wecycle had gone under by then). But they didn't say anything.

Contacting individual places to get off a list is a PITA but I diligently do so, most of the time it is either online or a phone call to politely ask, and it usually 'sticks'. I see maybe four pieces a month now.
http://www.directmail.com/mail_preference/ go to this place, sign up, and there are a few more places listed on the right. Go to those and sign up. It will drop your junk mail a lot.

I'm cheering Jesse and the progress on the stamp, and as I said, I will buy them if they show up. However, a USPS driven recycle isn't probably going to be feasible. The nearest city of 50k or more is over two hours from here so resources to recycle will run far far more than it is worth. Local personal recycle looks to be the answer. Sorry for a semi-off topic ramble but that is how it seems.

I use old cardboard for making firestarters (coil some in an old tuna tin and pour a little paraffin in there, light and stick under your traditional wood setup in fireplace), biodegradable mulch that keeps weeds down (brown corrugated), or if it is soy based ink you can rip up and put in water in a pail, then press out and form your own logs (on another thread here in Permies). I kept gerbils for awhile and used them as vital paper shredders, they would happily rip up my old mail (take out the windows in the envelopes) into gerbil-confetti. Back to topic, I would purchase these stamps, but some of the side stuff suggested might not be viable.....

Deb Rebel wrote: They fret up front about the decrease in junk mail, as that used to be the big cash cow for the USPS.

I believe that "cash cow" has lined a lot of pockets at the expense of our trees (and clean air), which at least some of the USPS is now viewing as a natural resource worth replenishing.

Would I rather see a beautiful growing tree or a pile of junk mail next to a group of smiling postal workers? Sorry, I know jobs are scarce in many realms but what will our regrets be tomorrow?

Karen Donnachaidh wrote:

Deb Rebel wrote: They fret up front about the decrease in junk mail, as that used to be the big cash cow for the USPS.

I believe that "cash cow" has lined a lot of pockets at the expense of our trees (and clean air), which at least some of the USPS is now viewing as a natural resource worth replenishing.

Would I rather see a beautiful growing tree or a pile of junk mail next to a group of smiling postal workers? Sorry, I know jobs are scarce in many realms but what will our regrets be tomorrow?

I do my best to reduce the junk mail I get, catalogs I won't look at, etc. I can respect though, the pension plan payments were a recent killer for the USPS, at least let them bring back the merchandise. That was optional point of sale and did bring in a lot that would help balance their books without Junk Mail. Anyways, the main issue is the carbon stamp to raise awareness, and cutting the junk mail that none of us want to deal with. I prefer to pay my bills online (and get my statements that way), plus signing up for the direct mail reduction lists to get me off lists, since there is no real recycling where I am at doing SELF-recycling (repurpose that stuff) and reducing my own waste stream plus using less energy by other means. That link again: http://www.directmail.com/mail_preference/

I applaud Jesse for getting as far with the awareness carbon stamp and hope it goes all the way. I will buy them if I need to mail something.

I applaud Jesse's attempts here. I will back such a project myself. You, I am sure, are in our "army" and I know you do your part. How do we make recycling more available in rural areas and less populated towns? I think that is where my issues are. That and knowing that the generation of waste in some businesses equals steady cash flow. That's sad.

Certainly easy for me to get off course.( Passionate.)
We're here to support you, Jesse. Sorry for the high jack.