United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
National Risk Management
Research Laboratory
Cincinnati OH 45268
Research and Development
EPA/600/SR-96/112 September 1996
Project Summary
Pollution Prevention Assessment
U.S. Postal Service
Stamp Distribution Network
Kansas City, MO
Carole O. Bell, Mary Hoel, Henry Huppert, and Steven Rolander
As part of its Waste Reduction Evalu-
ation at Federal Sites Program, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
National Risk Management Research
Laboratory worked cooperatively with
the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to inte-
grate waste prevention and recycling
activities into the waste management
programs at various postal facilities
through the conduct of pollution pre-
vention opportunity assessments
(PPOAs). The PPOA summarized here
was conducted at a USPS Stamp distri-
bution Network facility in Kansas City,
MO.
The report makes recommendations
concerning the procurement of office
supplies, maintenance supplies, and
hazardous materials; management of
hazardous materials and wastes; pur-
chase of chemicals on EPA's 33/50 list;
improvement of source separation and
recycling of paper and paper products,
metals, and plastics; management of
unwanted equipment; and other options
for reducing or eliminating pollution.
This Project Summary was developed
by EPA's National Risk Management
Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH,
to announce key findings of the research
project that is fully documented in a
separate report of the same title (see
Project Report ordering information at
back).
Introduction
Since 1988, EPA's National Risk Man-
agement Research Laboratory (NRMRL)
has managed a technical support effort
known as the Waste Reduction Evalua-
tions at Federal Sites (WREAFS) Program.
WREAFS was established to provide pol-
lution prevention solutions to environmen-
tal issues through research, development,
and demonstration of pollution prevention
techniques and technologies, and trans-
ferring lessons learned within the federal
community and related private sector in-
dustries.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS), in co-
operation with NRMRL's WREAFS Pro-
gram is engaged in an effort to integrate
pollution prevention and recycling activi-
ties into the waste management programs
at postal facilities. The purpose of this
project was to perform pollution preven-
tion opportunity assessments (PPOAs) at
Postal Service facilities, recommend imple-
mentation strategies, and develop facility
guidance that can be incorporated into a
revision of the USPS Waste Reduction
Guide. The project was funded by the
USPS through an interagency agreement
with EPA NRMRL.
In this report, the findings of the PPOA
conducted for the USPS Stamp Distribu-
tion Network located in Kansas City, MO
are described. The PPOA was conducted
during the week of March 6, 1995.
Facility Description
The Stamp Distribution Network (SON)
is located in the Hunt Midwest Subtropolis
in North Kansas City. Subtropolis is the
world's largest underground business com-
plex, housing more than 60 local, national,
and international businesses in more than
10 million square feet of developed space
located 100 feet underground.
The USPS site contains two operations:
the SON and the National Stamp Deposi-
tory (NSD). The mission of the SON is the
Printed on Recycled Paper
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distribution of stamps and stamped prod-
ucts, such as postcards, food stamps and
money orders, to more than 4,000 post
offices in Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Illi-
nois.
The NSD consists of two underground
warehouses which are used primarily to
store stamps and other products. The NSD
supplies stamps to six Accountable Paper
Depositories (Memphis, Chicago, Denver,
New York, Washington, and San Fran-
cisco) which distribute them to Stamp Dis-
tribution Offices.
Waste Description
Exhibit 1 provides a summary of the
primary SON waste streams, current man-
agement practices, and pollution preven-
tion options.
Pollution Prevention
Opportunities
Exhibit 2 presents the pollution preven-
tion opportunities that offer the USPS sig-
nificant cost reductions in addition to
reducing pollution. The primary pollution
prevention opportunities identified by the
PPOA are addressed in the sections be-
low.
Packaging Material
Due to the value of stamps, the USPS
has developed strict packaging and label-
ing requirements for shipping stamps. The
SDN purchases thousands of single use
corrugated boxes to ship stamps to post
offices. Once the shipments from the SDN
are received at their final destination, the
packages become waste. The USPS in-
curs additional costs for the labor to un-
pack and manage the boxes as well as
the costs associated with their ultimate
recycling or disposal. Recommendations
for reducing packaging wastes include
• Develop a policy that minimizes the
packaging of the product yet main-
tains security.
• Determine the cost/benefit of re-
placing single use corrugated boxes
in certain USPS shipping opera-
tions with distribution packaging that
can be reused hundreds of times.
• Establish a closed loop network for
stamp distribution packaging. The
stamps are distributed within a con-
fined geographic area (Missouri,
Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois); there-
fore, the SDN should be able to
establish a closed loop system for
returning stamp packaging to the
SDN for reuse.
Mixed Paper
A significant portion of the mixed paper
is due to the stamp requisition system.
Recommendations for reducing mixed-
paper wastes are
Exhibit 1. SDN Solid Waste Generation
Waste Current Management
Opportunities
Obsolete, damaged or
dofoctiva equipment
Corrugated cardboard
Computer printout
White paper
Mixed paper
Magazines
Toner cartridges
Pallets
Plastic stretch wrap
Strapping
Dunnage
Fluorescent tubes
niters
Disposed
Some reused,
most recycled
Discarded as waste
Discarded as waste
Discarded as waste
Discarded as waste
Returned for recycling
Some reused, many
discarded as waste
Discarded as waste
Discarded as waste
Discarded as waste
Discarded as waste
Discarded as waste
Reduce generation, send to CRF, send
to computer recyclers
Reduce incoming boxes, reuse boxes,
Improve diversion for recycling
Reduce generation, divert for recycling
Reduce generation, divert for recycling
Reduce generation, divert for recycling
Reduce generation, divert for recycling
Continue recycling
Reduce variety, reuse, establish
recycling options
Reduce generation, divert for recycling
Divert for recycling
Reuse, divert for recycling
Divert for recycling
Procure more efficient filtering system
• Develop and implement an elec-
tronic ordering system on a larger
scale. An electric ordering system
would simplify the ordering process,
eliminate the need to key in infor-
mation from the order forms, in-
crease the efficiency of the SDN,
and reduce the amount of paper
waste generated at the facility.
Since many small post offices do
not have computers, the electronic
system could consist of a telephone
voice recognition system.
• Establish a recycling program for
paper and other recyclables. Recy-
cling efforts could be coordinated
with other postal facilities in the
Subtropolis, complex-wide through
Hunt Midwest, or with the Kansas
Gity Processing and Distribution
Facility.
Stamps
The USPS is currently investigating a
process to shred obsolete or damaged
stamps (and packaging materials) and use
the resulting material for landscape mulch.
This process currently is being tested and
appears to be acceptable to the Postal
Inspection Service.
Pallets
• Return U.S. Government Printing
Office (GPO) pallets, including bro-
ken pallets, to source (pallets and
skids can be returned to the driver
at the time of delivery and GPO will
arrange to pick up loads of 300 or
more pallets that have been accu-
mulated).
• Require use of USPS pallets on
stamp deliveries from private print-
ers.
In future contracts for printing of
stamps, require the stamps be de-
livered on USPS pallets. This would
allow the reuse of the pallets and
reduce the quantity of pallets dis-
carded.
• Investigate mulching of pallets with
stamps destined for destruction.
• Investigate the feasibility of send-
ing pine pallets to the mulch manu-
facturer with stamps destined for
destruction.
Fluorescent Lighting
• Establish a recycling program.
• Ship expired bulbs to an approved
facility for recycling of glass, metals,
and mercury.
Lighting
Based on information provided by the
SDN staff, the USPS facility in Kansas
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Exhibit 2. Potential Cost-Saving Pollution Prevention Opportunities
ltem(s) of
Concern
Current Practice
Pollution Prevention
Opportunity
Potential Estimated
Savings/Revenues'
Packaging
Materials
Cardboard is reused or
recycled; other
packaging material is
disposed as solid waste
Review stamp packaging
requirements for stamp
producers
Establish closed loop network
for reusable packaging
Potential savings for avoided
waste disposal costs and raw
material purchases
Mixed Paper
Disposed as solid waste
Establish an electronic
ordering system for stamps
Establish a recycling program
for mixed paper
Eliminate costs associated
with paper disposal
Potential savings for avoided
waste disposal costs and
possible revenue from
recycling
Stamps
Transported to
incinerator in Indiana
Shred stamps and packaging
materials for use as landscape
mulch
Eliminate costs for
transportation, incineration,
and labor
* Dollar figure associated with potential savings is unknown at this time.
City pays more than $89,000 for electric-
ity per year. This expense breaks down
as follows: SON $72,096.94 and NSD
$17,054.90. Pollution prevention options
include
• Install motion sensitive lighting in
warehouses and other infrequently
used areas.
• Establish a policy of turning off lights
and equipment when leaving an
area.
• Reduce the number of emergency
lights and rewire the lighting in the
warehouses.
• Install energy efficient lighting.
• Become a Federal Partner in the
Green Lights Program.
Indoor Air Quality
The location of the DSPS SON and
NSD facilities in an underground, active
limestone and shale mine raises ques-
tions regarding the indoor air quality of
the space. Observation reveals that the
USPS has all the potential chemical re-
lease sources of typical office space (hy-
drocarbons from computers, printers, and
other electrical equipment; hydrocarbons
from carpet glues and upholstery, etc.) as
well as diesel exhaust from mining equip-
ment, trucks, and other vehicles. The
USPS also utilizes fork lifts, which may
affect the air quality or present explosion
hazards, depending on the type of lift and
battery charging procedures. Given the
unusual office ventilation configuration (the
only entry point for outside air is one mile
away), the potential for poor air quality
exists, and options should be considered
for reducing such air pollution.
Conclusions and
Recommendations
The USPS has encouraged reduction
and recycling activities in its facilities. By
implementing many of the source reduc-
tion and recycling options identified in the
assessment, the SON may be able to
reduce both the quantity and toxicity of
the wastes generated by this facility and
potentially save money in waste disposal
costs. Finding an alternative means of
managing obsolete or defective stamps
(e.g., composting) and identifying alterna-
tive means of packaging distributed stamps
are important steps in pollution prevention
at this facility. In addition, the facility should
focus on implementing a comprehensive
paper recycling program and address in-
door air quality issues.
The full report was submitted in partial
fulfillment of Contract No. 68-C2-0148,
Work Assignment No. 3-10 by Science
Applications International Corporation un-
der the sponsorship of the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency.
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Carole O. Bell, MaryHoel, Henry Huppert, and Steven Rolanderare with Science
Applications International Corporation, Newport Rl 02840.
James S. Bridges and N. Theresa Hoagland are the EPA Project Officers (see
below).
The complete report, entitled "Pollution Prevention Assessment, U.S. Postal Ser-
vice Stamp Distribution Network Kansas City, MO," (Order No. PB97-100036;
Cos/: $25.00, subject to change) will be available only from
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
77)0 EPA Project Officers can be contacted at
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cincinnati OH 45268
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Center for Environmental
Research Information (G-72)
Cincinnati, OH 45268
BULK RATE
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
EPA
PERMIT No. G-35
Official Business
Penally for Private Use
$300
EPA/600/SR-96/112
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