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Waste not

Recycling info added to USPS products

Priority Mail boxes and other USPS packaging materials will now bear recycling guidance.

The Postal Service has launched an effort to encourage more customers to recycle Priority Mail boxes and other packaging products.

Customers are sometimes unaware that many USPS products — stamped with the words “Please Recycle” along with the universal chasing-arrows recycling symbol — are made from recyclable materials and shouldn’t be discarded with other waste.

To encourage more customers to recycle, the Postal Service has joined forces with How2Recycle, a consumer-oriented package labeling system that uses Federal Trade Commission guidance to help customers properly recycle.

How2Recycle labels communicate to customers precise instructions, including how to prep for recycling, the type of recyclable material, such as plastic or paper, and the packaging format, such as bottles and boxes, to make recycling easier.

Cereal boxes, soup cans and other pantry items often carry How2Recycle guidance.

The How2Recycle labels will be added to Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express and ReadyPost packaging and other Postal Service products this year.

“The Postal Service’s vision is to be a sustainability leader by encouraging a culture of conservation — and recycling is an integral part of those efforts. We’re proud to work with How2Recycle to make it easier for our customers to recycle Priority Mail and other packaging materials,” said USPS Chief Sustainability Officer Jennifer Beiro-Réveillé.

The USPS Sustainability website has additional information about the Postal Service’s sustainability efforts.

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