According to the Office of Inspector General, “In September 2013, the Postal Service approved $33.1 million to implement the National Recycling Program. The funds will cover capital improvements and expenses related to recycling operations.”
According to USPS the National Recycling Program involves backhauling recyclables from Associate Offices (AOs) to its servicing Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC). Backhaul recycling is transporting recyclables such as mixed paper to P&DCs in properly placarded empty mail transport equipment (MTE). This allows for the consolidation/aggregation of recyclables to maximize economies of scale and to receive the highest contract market prices for the recyclables. Since empty MTE is already returned to the P&DCs via existing transportation, the empty return MTE will be used to move the recyclable materials to maximize its financial benefit. The AO will also benefit from this Program by reduced trash disposal costs as the recyclables will no longer be discarded. This reverse logistics opportunity is an inherent recycling benefit for the Postal Service that few other entities can leverage. The initiative will involve installing recycling equipment such as universal dumpers/compactors to accept the MTE containing AO recyclables for consolidation.
“The goal of the program is to increase recycling efforts nationwide and standardize recycling procedures across all Postal Service districts by the end of 2017.” The program was scheduled to begin in early July of this year.
APWU filed a Step 4 grievance on the issue to ensure work was assigned to the custodial occupational group. But after USPS notified APWU recently that “Backhaul recycling will involve Mail Handlers at P&DCs unloading MTE containing the recyclables received from AO’s and transporting them to a designated recycling staging area in the P&DC. Custodians will then load the MTE into the universal dumper/compactor to consolidate the recyclables for pickup by a recycling service vendor” the Step 4 grievance was withdrawn.
Hey Geewhiz what are YOU doing that you can pay so much attention to what others are doing or not doing? Recycle is right, you must be related to the PSE that had time to see what others are NOT doing!!!!
Our maintenance guys are sent outside to guard the parking lot from employees parking there. This is what the po pays them for.
watch HQ build this into a billion dollar lose. We can all see it coming. Shipping garbage around…..brillant, probably lose it.
The recycling vendor? like the nice thick cardboard stuff not that thin trash stuff from the C-Cut. No staples or tape neither on the cardboard. We’re just as lazy and don’t want to hire someone to remove it so have it cleaned up for top dollor.
Same with the stretch wrap, no tape or labels.
Computer paper, soda can/plastic bottles and Metals.
U might want to think about cutting your custodians in on the action, the cleaner the better $$$ paid.
Instead of recycling why do we not let employees buy some of the things that are being trashed/recycled?
geewhiz that PSE bitching about regulars an u related?
And don’t forget we must hire a Vice President and his crew to run the recycling gig.
Gee..Whiz, If you think Custodians are “all” lazy and overpaid why not be one? We have our “lazy” ones but MOST are good workers..like ALL groups.As far as Supervisors, ya, way too many. Productivity HAS improved in the last 10 years. Efficiency really needs to improve along with #1:Customer Service.(deliberate under staffing of Windows)
Hey geewhiz – I don’t see you volunteering to clean the toilets and scrub the sinks. But, hey, you have a right to judge others because you are the best worker in the world!
Another assignment our lazy over paid custodians will screw up……takes time away from sitting around and getting paid to do nothing while there supervisor is sleeping or shopping on the clock.
This is thinking outside the box. Since nothing can be done about declining mail volume train clerks and mailhandlers to recycle! How bout delivering pizza? No…that would be carrier work, But I digress…how bout clerks selling time shares in the lobby… Mailhandlers washing customer’s cars in the parking lot…Clerks taking lunch orders or better yet Mini Mickey Ds inside P.Os. The possibilities are endless!
Mailhandlers unload the equipment from the trucks and take it to staging area. Custodians dump it into the recycling container. Sounds like a no brainer to me. I don’t see this as being objectionable.