USPS Shredding Children's Books

What a waste, especially during the holidays when they could have been donated and put to better use:

http://www.fox17.com/news/features/...-18138.shtml

I'm pretty sure that Books from Birth program was started by Dolly Parton to help the poor children of East Tennessee & Sevier County.

A long time ago when I was a kid I lived near a post office. They had a small dumpster out back that every once and a while my brother and I went through. At the time some of the bulk mail used to have change glued to the advertising. Occasionally we would find enough to get a coke or candy bar.

Now for the sake of privacy any mail that is undeliverable is shredded or disposed of.

Donating them all to childrens' wards in hospitals would have been worthwhile, and nicer. Delivering them to the hospitals should be no problem for this outfit. I give up on the decision makers responsible for actions like this. They ought to sacked, or at least demoted. Way down.

Terry

Does this surprise you from our government?
Tom

No Tom, and it is Just as bad in the UK. A universal curse, it seems, that we are plagued by incompetents in positions of authority.

Terry

Let me see now ... I have a giant pile of new children's books here and no true owner. Shall I donate them to someplace that could use them -- inner city children's center or day cares? hospitals? shelters? Nahhhhh ... rather than make a couple of phone calls and have someone pick them up, let's spend the time and money to DESTROY them and dump them into the waste stream! WTG, Postal Service. P.S. Price of first-class postage will go up by a penny in January.
TOTAL INSANITY.

Well said
Tom

I wonder if somewhere in a USPS manual there is a line stating that it could not donate or give anything away let alone to charity. I think that they still have an auction arm that still gets undelivered packages and auctions them off. They could have auctioned them off cheep - hopefully to a charity for hardly any money.

I hadn't really thought about the volume of undeliverable mail the USPS must have until reading this thread and doing a search. Under these rules, they can and should have donated the books to charity rather than shredding them (their other, probably cheaper, option).

http://about.usps.com/postal-bullet...info_005.htm

Hi all, Was refraining from watching the link to this, but I watched it and was heart-broken to think that's what they are doing with the books. Why don't they use this type of stuff to have rummage sale type things in the Post offices parking lots on Sundays.
I know I would purchase books for "kids" and take them to schools for them to use. Even volunteer my time to help. This has bothered me so bad that I'm disgusted with USPS's management. There is "no reason" these books can't find homes. I'm writing a letter to Obama after I get a few other people to help. Since his wife is so involved with schools. Sorry for venting. Respectfully, Gary

Here's an interesting update to an old thread.

It seems the Governor of Tennessee has just signed into law a bill to end this book shredding by the US Postal Service. The USPS must instead donate undeliverable books to pre-kindergarten and other programs.

http://www.newschannel5.com/story/2...ok-shredding

Somebody with a brain that Governor. Maybe he read the posts on here.

Terry

How it is that a State can tell the USPS, a independent agency of the Federal Government, what to do?

I read that it was approved by the Senate.

Terry

An update: It's still an on-going problem ... (the USPS will not recognize State Law) ... and it's the kids who lose out:

http://www.thedailytimes.com/news/p...c553d8a.html