Reduce, re-use, return
We all need to play our part in helping to ensure make Royal Mail does more to protect the environment.
Although elastic bands are one of many useful tools we use to help us deliver mail, they are also among the most harmful items we use every day.
Colleagues must take extra care with the elastic bands we use, including broken ones, particularly when on delivery. Please remember to recover all elastic bands from customers’ mail and take them back to the office to be reused.
We should all attempt to re-use elastic bands where possible. Selecting the right sized bands for the size of the mail bundle will help. In mail centres, colleagues should collect elastic bands from all work areas and place them in the designated central collection point. This will save us money and protect the environment.
When reusable bands are dropped in the streets it is against the law. They cause harm to wildlife and damage our reputation when customers complain, as the below comment sent in by a customer in Bournemouth, illustrates:
‘My husband and I are really delighted by the postal service here in Stokewood Road, Bournemouth. Our regular postman could not be kinder or more dedicated.
‘We are a little worried however, by one thing; as members of the Hedgehog Preservation Society we are often reminded that elastic bands can be very dangerous for hedgehogs. As you know, the little creatures are highly endangered and suffering massive decline in numbers.
‘We are lucky to see hedgehogs around here so we were wondering if you could just check that it is not postmen and women dropping elastic bands. We hope this is ok and we continue to pick up elastic bands when we see them. With many thanks and best regards.’
We recognise that the littering of elastic bands, which we use to keep bundles of mail together, is a potential threat to wildlife and the environment, as well as a cost to our business.
All the elastic bands that Royal Mail uses are biodegradable. This helps to reduce their impact on the environment. The natural rubber content means that the bands will start to biodegrade in an outdoor environment within a year.
