Monday, September 14, 2026
Have waste spray cans around? Here’s what to do
If it is empty, recycle it. If not, check the regulations
The Postal Service is reminding employees to store and dispose of aerosol cans properly because they may contain chemicals and propellant that pose a potential safety or environmental threat.
Here is how to deal with aerosol cans:
• Never throw non-empty spray cans in the trash. They are subject to environmental regulations and should be treated as hazardous or universal waste, depending on the requirements in your state.
• Cans that are completely empty of chemicals or propellant are not regulated and may be recycled as scrap metal. If no recycling options exist locally, they may be placed in the trash.
• Never store cans near sources of heat.
• Use up all the product in a can. If a can is not working, consider replacing the nozzle.
The Waste Aerosol Can Management Environmental Compliance Bulletin has more information.
Employees with questions can contact the USPS environmental specialist for their area.
Heroes
He heard a tire screech and a loud crash
This letter carrier helped a customer after a bicycle accident
Letter Carrier Francisco Tran was picking up mail in Sacramento, CA, recently when he heard a tire screech and a loud crash.
The Postal Service employee looked outside his delivery vehicle and saw a woman lying on the ground after crashing her bicycle.
Tran approached the customer and found that she was unresponsive and shaking uncontrollably, possibly from a seizure.
He called 911 and stayed with the woman until paramedics arrived.
Employees featured in “Heroes” receive letters of commendation through the Postmaster General Heroes’ Program. The nomination form is available on Blue.
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered Sept. 6-12
A lowrider at the Smithsonian and a Coast Guard Academy stamp made news
Last week, Link looked inside a new exhibition at the Smithsonian that dives deep into lowrider culture.
“El Rey” — a 1963 Chevy Impala and one of five cars featured on the Postal Service’s Lowriders stamps — is on display at the National Museum of American History. The car boasts air-brushed and painted murals, a digital dashboard, custom candy-red paint and etched chrome details.
In other philatelic news, the Postal Service released a new stamp honoring 150 years of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and is reissuing a special cancellation to mark “Thinking of You” week, which encourages people to send handwritten notes and letters.
Link offered reminders on the ins and outs of the Hatch Act, which outlines the limits of federal employees’ political participation, and stressed the importance of quickly reporting suspicious cyber activity.
And we ran a story from The Eagle magazine on Carri Honz, a lead retail associate in Lincoln, NE, who volunteers with the Raptor Conservation Alliance to rescue and rehabilitate injured and orphaned birds of prey.
Finally, in “Heroes,” Letter Carrier Francisco Tran was delivering mail in Sacramento, CA, when he saw a woman on the ground after crashing her bicycle. The USPS employee called 911 and stayed with the woman, who appeared to be having a seizure, until paramedics arrived.
Email us your feedback. Your comments could be included in our “Mail” column.
September 19, 2026
Datebook
Christmas Cookies stamps first day of issue
The Postal Service will release its Christmas Cookies stamps on Saturday, Sept. 19, in Washington, DC.
The stamps will be unveiled during the National Postal Museum’s Family Festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern at the National Postal Museum at 2 Massachusetts Ave NE.
Attendees are encouraged to RSVP online.
View past printouts
Printout details
What's included
-
Have waste spray cans around? Here’s what to do
-
Heroes
He heard a tire screech and a loud crash
This letter carrier helped a customer after a bicycle accident
-
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered Sept. 6-12
A lowrider at the Smithsonian and a Coast Guard Academy stamp made news
-
September19Datebook
Christmas Cookies stamps first day of issue