Daily Tip: March 24, 2008

The U.S. Postal Service is launching a free, recycle-by-mail "Mail Back" program. In 10 select areas of the country, you can use free envelopes to mail back inkjet cartridges, PDAs, Blackberries, digital cameras, iPods and MP3 players –- without having to pay for postage. Learn more about the program here.

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Comments

[Carolyn Meehan]

I'd like to see the USPS recycle junk mail and provide containers to collect it free.

[Rette]

Hey Carolyn, you talk like it is USPS fault that you get junk mail.There are ways to stop junk mail, but in the meantime, just recycle it.

[Stephen Knutson]

Millions of dollars are wasted sending millions of trees to the dump via junk mail and it is paid for by raising the price of regular mail. This a boondoggle of the first order.

[Jerry G]

The first problem is "10 select areas of the country". In gov speak, this will be the last that you see of this program since it will never expand beyond these 10 areas. Boondoggle, yes, but it is a "sounds good" boondoggle.

[Pat]

Junk mail is a revenue maker for the USPS. That is why it persists. But as a revenue maker, I don't think it is the cause of higher rates for first class mail.

[Thom Nix]

I think the USPC should be recycled.

What kind of Marketing Person lists only 4 of the 10 sites in the press release?

This sounds like demarketing.

What else would you expect from a government run by the Bush Administration.

[Pamela]

Everything helps--don't critisize if it works--even in ten areas--I wish more commentors had a positive attitude. Your attitude is your choice. I will be looking for it in Denver and encouraging it. YES, YOU can stop the junk mail to your house--so if you don't--blame yourself. We are a society of blame others for every little thing that doesn't go our way--I get very little junk mail and a bag of recycle is sitting under my work desk because there is no recycle at my office--take responsibility for your little area of the world! Pamela

[Maria]

What are the other 6 sites? I live in a major metropolitan area. If I'm in one of the other 6, I will participate.

[GreenGirl]

What about batteries, we need a convenient way to recycle those. There is a battery shop here, but it is not convenient, but they do at least accept used batteries and have them recycled (so they say).

[Sue]

Petsmart supplies free mailers,already addressed,postage paid to recycle used ink cartridges and cell phones. Their charity receives 2.00 for each one. You can pick them up at the store.

[Michele]

Batteries can become punctured and leak acid, so I doubt that would be a good way to get them recycled...besides. I think it would be more efficient and fair if retailers who profited from the sale of batteries & other products, no matter what they sell, they should be required to accept the used/spent products or packaging for recycling, as their profit is unfair otherwise, costing the rest of us in health, or county programs in money. That would make it convenient, as consumers could simply return to be recycled what they will buy more of. That said, rechargeable batteries are great, ebay even had a solar battery charger that charges C & D size batteries!!

As far as the post office and junk mail, as long as they offer a bulk mail rate that is a fraction, per piece, of what it costs the rest of us to mail a letter, the problem will continue. If those companies had to pay .42 cents apiece for their junk mailers, I'm sure we'd all notice a dramatic decrease in junk mail! I wonder what percentage of the post office's revenue is from bulk mailing? Would they never raise or eliminate bulk mail rates because they're worried about going broke? If you've ever been to a post office with p.o. boxes, you'd be amazed at how quickly their own trash cans fill up with that junk mail on the days most of those mailers come out...

[Julie]

When I bought a new HP inkjet cartridge last month, it conviently came with a prepaid envelope to mail back the old one for free.

Use this easy and FREE service to put a stop to all those wasteful catalogs that come in the mail at
http://www.catalogchoice.org/signup

[Linda]

This is a good start, but I'm more concerned about what to do with the long lasting lamp bulbs and what to do to clean up if they break. I have grandchildren and a dog that are of special concern to me