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Zeroed in

San Francisco P&DC helping city reduce waste

USPS is helping San Francisco send less waste to landfills.
USPS is helping San Francisco send less waste to landfills. Photo: San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco wants to become one of the first cities in the nation that sends no waste to landfills — and it’s getting help from the Postal Service.

The San Francisco P&DC is striving to become a “zero waste environment” as part of the city’s broader efforts.

The P&DC has established a back-haul hub that recycles paper, plastic and cardboard from nearby USPS facilities. The hub also handles composted materials, recycling and trash.

In addition to making the P&DC more environmentally friendly, these efforts have helped the facility cut costs by 28 percent since last year.

“This is yet another example of our employees going above and beyond to increase revenue and reduce our environmental impact,” said Chief Sustainability Officer Tom Day.

Zero waste initiatives are becoming more common across the United States. The P&DC’s efforts align with the Postal Service’s National Recycling Operation, which aims to safeguard the environment while generating new business for USPS.

Other postal areas and districts are experimenting with zero waste efforts, Day said.

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