Monday, May 20, 2024
A way to turn trash into cash
This program helps USPS facilities recycle wooden pallets
Not long after moving into a new role as a contract technician at the Tucson, AZ, Processing and Distribution Center a few years ago, Cecilia Chaney noticed the facility was throwing away its excess wooden pallets.
Like many postal facilities, the Tucson center regularly receives pallets from business customers dropping off large volumes of mail. Some pallets are reclaimed by the customers, but many others are left behind, leaving facility managers to figure out what to do with them.
“I didn’t like the thought of these getting trashed and filling landfills when they could be repurposed for so many things — and on top of that, bring in a little revenue for USPS,” Chaney said.
After doing some research, Chaney learned about a pallet recycling program managed by the USPS Asset Accountability Service Center, which sells the items on GovDeals, a website that helps government agencies manage the sale of surplus inventory.
Now, the Tucson facility is using the program to recycle its pallets, helping to generate extra revenue for the Postal Service.
The Asset Accountability Service Center created the pallet recycling program after surveying facilities across the country. The initiative fits with the Delivering for America plan’s sustainability targets, including a goal to divert more waste from landfills.
Almost 9 percent of postal facilities currently participate in the program, which has the goal of reaching 10 percent before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30. So far, more than 15,400 pallets have been sold.
The Asset Accountability Blue page has more information on the program, including a standard work instruction for wooden pallet recycling.
“We’re looking forward to working with Postal Service facilities across the nation to increase participation in the program and help turn waste into revenue through landfill diversion,” said Sam Rogers, the Postal Service’s asset accountability manager.
For her efforts in Tucson, Chaney was recently recognized with a certificate of appreciation from Rogers and other postal leaders.
She said she appreciates the recognition, but she emphasizes the program’s success will require a team effort.
“A shoutout to all the mail handlers and our maintenance crew at our facility for their cooperation to help establish this process in addition to their normal routine,” Chaney said.
Heroes
He made the right call
A rural carrier asked police to check on a customer whose life was in danger
Rural Carrier Danny Lara Jr. was delivering mail recently in Waterford, CA, when he noticed a customer’s mail piling up.
The Postal Service employee asked the local sheriff’s department to check on the 91-year-old woman.
Officers found the customer unconscious in her chair. She was treated for an infection that had led to elevated blood sugar.
The woman’s nephew later mailed a letter to the Waterford Post Office to thank Lara for making the call.
“Danny is much more than a mail carrier to my aunt and family,” he wrote. “Danny has served his community beyond just delivering the mail.”
Employees featured in “Heroes” receive letters of commendation through the Postmaster General Heroes’ Program. The nomination form is available on Blue.
Mailbox Improvement Week is here
The annual campaign is held every May
The Postal Service is encouraging customers to spruce up their mailboxes during Mailbox Improvement Week, which begins Sunday, May 19.
Mailboxes should be fully operational, able to protect mail from the weather, safe to use, conveniently located and neat in appearance.
They should also be large enough to support the customer’s daily mail and package volume — within allowable size limits — and be of a design approved by the postmaster general.
In addition to aiding the Postal Service, mailbox improvement adds to an area’s aesthetics.
USPS holds Mailbox Improvement Week each year during the third week of May.
Postal Bulletin’s May 2 edition has more information and detailed specifications.
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered May 12-18
Stamp Out Hunger and the Ansel Adams stamp ceremony made news
Last week, Link reported on the Stamp Out Hunger food drive.
The annual drive that allows Postal Service employees to collect food donations for their communities, was held May 11.
We also reminded you of the rules for promoting semipostal stamps, as well as instructions on ordering semipostal-themed T-shirts, and we previewed several forthcoming events, including a virtual job fair for supervisory positions, slated for Sunday, May 19, and a virtual seminar on the Postal Service Health Benefits Program, scheduled for Tuesday, May 21.
Our “Heroes” column turned a spotlight on Danny Lara Jr., a Waterford, CA, rural carrier who came to the rescue of a 91-year-old customer who was discovered unconscious and later treated for an infection.
Additionally, we covered the May 15 dedication ceremony for the Ansel Adams stamps.
The ceremony took place at Yosemite National Park in California, a place that inspired many of the artist’s photos.
Daniel Tangherlini, a USPS Board of Governors member who spoke at the ceremony, reflected on the enduring Adams legacy.
“He felt deeply about the need to conserve our natural heritage — and through his talent, he made others care about this cause, too,” Tangherlini said.
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A way to turn trash into cash
This program helps USPS facilities recycle wooden pallets
-
Heroes
He made the right call
A rural carrier asked police to check on a customer whose life was in danger
-
Mailbox Improvement Week is here
The annual campaign is held every May
-
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered May 12-18
Stamp Out Hunger and the Ansel Adams stamp ceremony made news