USPS... Not Very Green Observation...

I won't share my thoughts about the "green movement", but I do find it interesting that the USPS is getting on the bandwagon and pushing "green".

Case in point: Remember years back when you made an order from their catalog, and you got glassines with stamps? What do you get now? Each item is packaged in plastic with a cardboard backing. If you buy 3 of something, you get three separate packages. By the time you are done opening everything in your order, you have a pile of plastic and cardboard. The cardboard can be reused if you do a lot of mailing, but for the most part, it is all waste. The old glassines could be reused over and over.

Sooooo, it seems to me the switch to an "efficient" shipping system has actually cut jobs and created more waste.

(Just an observation... I'm sure I have annoyed someone... I always seem to do that around here without even trying...)

As has been mentioned previously, there has not been much of a commitment on the part of the USPS to be green. Self-adhesive postage is morethan twice as wasteful than water-activated gum stamps.

I never even THOUGHT of that! Good point! Most foreign new issues I have picked up are lick-and-stick. I wonder if the PO could switch back? They may even cut their losses a bit.

You probably don't annoy people,
when one posts an "opinion", it follows that
others may have a contrary point of view.
Depends how you receive that, just don't convert
it to "annoyance"

I'll try to take your advice, Rod!

I very rarely see annoyance on SCF,
we are all a very laid back group.

Two of us, fredcdobbs and myself don't collect gum
which is fairly radical, and it amazes me when I sometimes
post I wash off gum, no one seems to care.
A good litmus test for a groups flexibility.

I agree Nells -- but on the brighter side, you can always leave the stamps in the plastic packaging until your album supplements are released (sometimes 18 months later). Also, those cardboard inserts will come in handy when you want to mail stamps to me and Rod

It's ironic that you posted this now. Earlier today, I was attempting to organize and clean my office and I found one of those Fulfillment Center Tyvek envelopes with my last order from USPS. It was about 2 inches thick because of all the packaging you mention.

As a rule, I stopped collecting US at the end of 2000, but I did order a few extras afterward that I thought were interesting or to finish a series. For a while, I continued to purchase Panes of 20 for the ""Airmail" stamps. Lately, I've been slack about keeping up with those too.

Kirk

P.S. Speaking of green, how about those TYVEK envelopes -- those suckers will be here when cockroaches are extinct!

RECYCLE

Nells, all those bits of cardboard and plastic, even the envelope, can be recycled. Every bit.

You can re-use yourself or collect them up and dump them in the recycle bins [there must be some near you].
I throw almost nothing away except for waste food, and even that will be recycled in our village very soon. [Other countries have been doing it for years].

The recent USA 'Green' Sheet was a gem for getting Kids into the habit and yesterday I received the latest edition of 'USA Philatelic' with an amazing 'Green' cover. I was most impressed and wrote and told them so.
I will write about the magazine cover in a seperate thread later.

I think it is up to us, the public, to help. I for one, rarely buy anything for sending stamps. All my envelopes,plastic pouches,Cards and stiffeners are all recycled. It saves me a lot of money too. If anyone here works in an office it should be easy to save by checking those bins each day !

Londonbus1

Good post London Bus.