United States National Risk Management

Environmental Protection Research Laboratory

Agency Cincinnati OH 45268

Research and Development EPA/600/SR-96/111 September 1996

Pollution Prevention Assessment

U.S. Postal Service

Bulk Mail Center, Dallas, TX

Carole O. Bell, Mary Hoel, and Henry Huppert

Project Summary

As part of its Waste Reduction Evaluation 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 integrate waste prevention and recycling

activities into the waste management

programs at various postal facilities

through the conduct of pollution prevention opportunity assessments

(PPOA). The PPOA summarized here

was conducted at the USPS Bulk Mail

Center (BMC) located in Dallas, TX.

The report describes the mission of

the BMC including operations performed, processes and materials employed, and the wastes and emissions

generated. The report makes recommendations concerning the procurement of office supplies, maintenance

supplies, and hazardous materials;

management of hazardous materials

and wastes; purchase 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 Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL)

has managed a technical support effort

known as the Waste Reduction Evaluations at Federal Sites (WREAFS) Program.

WREAFS was established to provide pollution prevention solutions to environmental issues through research, development,

and demonstration of pollution prevention

techniques and technologies, and transferring lessons learned within the federal

community and related private sector industries.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS), in cooperation with NRMRL’s WREAFS program, is engaged in an effort to integrate

pollution prevention and recycling activities into the waste management programs

at postal facilities. The purpose of this

project was to perform pollution prevention opportunity assessments (PPOAs) at

Postal Service facilities, recommend implementation strategies, and develop facility

guidance that can be incorporated into a

revision of the USPS Waste Reduction

Guide. The project was funded by the

U.S. Postal Service through an interagency

agreement with EPA NRMRL.

This report describes the findings of the

PPOA conducted for the U.S. Postal Service Bulk Mail Center (BMC) located in

Dallas, TX. The site assessment was conducted during the week of May 15, 1995.

Facility Description

The BMC facility in Dallas, TX, performs the sorting and routing of packages

and bulk business mail for Texas, Oklahoma, and parts of Kansas, Arkansas,

and Louisiana as part of a national network of mechanized bulk mail centers that

process third and fourth class mail. The

facility employs approximately 1,600 individuals and operates three eight-hour shifts

per day, six days per week and two shifts

on Sunday. An additional 300 workers are

hired during the Christmas holiday season.

The BMC facility occupies 75 acres; the

main building contains approximately
2

452,000 square feet of space. In addition,

the facility houses a 2,000 sq. ft. lubrication storage area; a 2,048 sq. ft. former

vehicle repair shop that is now used to

repair “over-the-road” (OTR) aluminum

mail-transport equipment and as a fuel

and oil dispensing area for postal vehicles;

and a 1,000 sq. ft. shed that houses

groundskeeping equipment and miscellaneous machinery. The BMC also has two

remote sites: a USPS-owned warehouse,

which is shared with the Dallas General

Mail Facility and a leased facility of 59,000

sq. ft. that houses the Crossdock Pallet

Facility.

Waste Management

Wastes generated by BMC operations

include excess and obsolete equipment

and supplies; corrugated cardboard; computer paper; white paper; mixed office paper, including forms and envelopes;

magazines and newsprint; undeliverable

bulk business mail (UBBM) and “loose-inmail” pieces (LIMs); employee wastes, including cans, bottles, wrappers, and food;

pallets; shrink and stretch wrap; aluminum and other metals; wood; fluorescent

tubes and lighting ballasts; batteries; plastic and metal strapping; rags; and oil filters and waste oil. Additionally, the BMC

facility generates small quantities of hazardous wastes from aerosol cans, primarily paints and oils. In 1994, one 55-gallon

drum of F003 and F005 waste was generated. Exhibit 1 presents the composition

of the solid waste stream, the current management practice for each component, and

a summary of pollution prevention opportunities. Exhibit 2 summarizes the current

costs of waste collection.

Pollution Prevention

Opportunities

Exhibit 3 presents the pollution prevention opportunities that offer the USPS significant cost reductions in addition to

reducing pollution. The primary pollution

prevention opportunities identified by the

PPOA are addressed in the sections below.

Environmental Oversight

• Appoint an Environmental Coordinator to monitor environmental issues and implement opportunities

to reduce waste and prevent pollution at the facility.

Reuse and Recycling

The BMC presently receives approximately $100,000 in annual revenue from

its old corrugated cardboard (OCC) recycling program (recycled gaylord boxes),

approximately $9,600 in annual revenue

from scrap metal recycling, and in 1995,

to date, the BMC has received $7,929 in

revenue from scrap aluminum recycling.

Postal employees use metal OTR containers to move mail between facilities,

although this was not their intended use,

and facilities hoard OTRs for the holiday

season. The BMCs have no control over

the OTR inventory, thus OTRs are not

readily available to move the mail in the

BMC service area. To solve the problem

of access to mail transport equipment, the

USPS has designed the Integrated Mail

Handling System, which would substitute

cardboard gaylord boxes for the reusable

OTRs and require modifying existing mail

handling equipment to accommodate the

gaylords. Recommendations are

• Cancel the Integrated Mail Handling

System, and use OTRs instead of

cardboard gaylord boxes.

• Purchase enough additional OTRs

or other permanent mail transport

equipment for the nationwide movement of non-peak period mail volume and design and implement a

nationwide bar-code labeling and

tracking system for the OTRs.

• Reuse cardboard gaylord boxes that

enter facility, rather than recycling

them after one use. One reuse of

each gaylord will reduce costs by

$500,000.

Exhibit 1. BMC Solid Waste Generation and Pollution Prevention Opportunities

Waste Current Management Opportunities

Obsolete, damaged or Disposed or sold as scrap Repair at USPS Computer Repair

defective equipment Facility (CRF) in Topeka KS, reuse

Corrugated cardboard Some reused, gaylords recycled, Reduce use of gaylords, increase use of

other cardboard disposed OTRs, reduce incoming boxes, reuse

boxes, improve diversion for recycling

Computer print-out Discarded as waste Reduce generation, divert for recycling

White paper Some recycled Reduce generation, improve diversion

for recycling

Mixed paper Discarded as waste Reduce generation, divert for recycling

Magazines Discarded as waste Reduce generation, divert for recycling

Toner cartridges Returned for recycling Continue recycling

Pallets USPS pallets sent to Arlington Reduce variety, reuse pine pallets,

facility for redistribution. Pine establish recycling options for pine

pallets sold as scrap for mulch pallets

Plastic stretch wrap Discarded as waste Reduce generation, divert for recycling

Rags Discarded as waste Investigate rag service feasibility

Fluorescent tubes Discarded as waste Improve ambient light, install motion

sensitive lighting, divert for recycling

Strapping Discarded as waste Divert for recycling

Oil Rerefined Purchase rerefined oil

Alkaline Batteries Recycled Use rechargeable batteries

Lighting Ballasts PCB ballasts managed as hazardous, Improve ambient light, install motion

nonPCB ballasts recycled sensitive lighting, turn lights off
3

Exhibit 2. Current Cost of Waste Collection

Container Collection

Material Size Frequency Monthly Fee Annual Cost

Mixed Waste at 40 cu yd 12 per month $147.50 per $21,240

BMC pull or $1,770

per month

Mixed Waste at 6 cu yd 26 per month $3,145 $37,740

CPF

Oily Rags 55-gallon 3-4 drums per $400 per drum $14,400

drum month or $1,200 to to

$1,600 per $19,200

month

Total $73,380 - $78,180

• Reuse cardboard boxes in other

processing operations.

• Segregate for recycling the OCC

that cannot be reused.

• Improve the office paper recycling

system.

• Reduce the quantity of UBBM and

recycle rather than dispose of LIMs.

Exhibit 3. Cost-Saving Pollution Prevention Opportunities

Item(s) of Pollution Prevention

Concern Current Practice Opportunity Summary of Estimated Potential Savings/Revenues

Gaylords/OTRs Use disposable Purchase sufficient Cost Per Trip:

gaylords in place of quantity of reusable Aluminum OTRa Cardboard Gaylord

durable aluminum OTRs and maintain for

OTRs. 10 years. $1.40 $5.41

(150 trips/ (single use)

yr for 10 yrs)

After 39 trips/year, OTRs are more cost effective

 than single use gaylords.

Potential savings of $4.01 per trip.

Cardboard Recycle after single Reuse gaylords. Based on annual purchase costs of $1,000,000,

Gaylords use. potential savings for single reuse of each gaylord

equal $500,000.

Old Corrugated Recycle cardboard Continue current Approximately $100,000 revenue (at 60 tons/mo

Cardboard gaylords recycling practices. and $140/ton) for gaylords.

Dispose remaining 30 Utilize baler and recycle Approximately $100 to $140 per ton in revenue for

percent of OCC stream remaining OCC. each additional ton of corrugated cardboard

as waste. recycled.

Rags Purchase new rags Launder rags Year 1

Dispose rags by Dispose 25 percent of Launderingb Newc Cost Savings

incineration rags annually $2.17/lb $2.23/lb $414

Year 2

Launderingb Newc Cost Savings

$2.06/lb $2.23/lb $1,173

a $1,138 purchase cost and $1,000 lifetime maintenance cost

b Cost of laundering rags is approximately $10,350 annually; annual disposal costs with laundering are $3,600.

c Purchase of new rags costs approximately $1030 annually; annual disposal costs are $14,400.

Pallets

• Establish a formal recycling system

for pine pallets. Recyclers will repair or rebuild pallets for resale.

Several pallet recycling services are

available in the Dallas area.

Fluorescent Lights

• Establish a fluorescent tube recycling program for the 1,500 fluorescent tubes used at this facility.

Rechargeable Batteries

• Purchase rechargeable batteries

and a charging unit to recharge the

batteries. GSA has available rechargeable alkaline batteries that

offer the high performance attributes

of regular alkaline batteries along

with the cost and environmental

benefits of a reusable system.
4

Affirmative Procurement

• Establish preference programs and

adopt specifications for the purchase of products made with the

percentages of recovered materials specified in EPA Guidelines.

Lighting

• Increase the use of motion sensitive lighting.

• Install motion sensitive lighting in

infrequently used areas.

• Establish a “lights out” policy.

• Establish a policy of turning off lights

and equipment when leaving an

area. Where machine design permits, turn photocopiers to low power

when not in use.

• Increase the use of ambient lighting.

• Become a Federal Partner in the

Green Lights Program.

Computers

• Procure computers that meet Energy Star requirements.

Battery Charging

• Review procedures on the proper

charging of batteries to prevent accidental acid overflows.

Dedicated Oil Containers

The Dallas BMC has a bulk distribution

system which stores several types of oil

and a solvent called Pro-Power, an oil

emulsifier, but the facility uses one container to transfer the products. This process generates unnecessary waste

because excess oil is disposed, instead of

being reused, and because the containers

must be cleaned with solvent after each

use. Therefore, dedicated containers

should be purchased and used for each

specific material.

Conclusions and

Recommendations

The BMC facility has taken admirable

steps in terms of implementing a relatively

aggressive recycling and reuse program

for many commodities, such as OCC,

metal, and pallets. In terms of OCC, the

BMC should focus on reusing cardboard

gaylord boxes, replacing these with durable aluminum OTRs, and capturing for

recycling the 20% to 30% of the OCC

stream that is disposed. The BMC should

investigate a rag laundering service and

also should implement more aggressive

policies to reduce the amount of paper

waste generated and disposed, most notably UBBM and LIMs. Facility staff showed

an openness to pollution prevention ideas

and should continue to explore new options such as energy savings through

daylighting, the Green Lights program, and

procurement of Energy Star computers,

as well as more simple options such as

lights out policies, double-sided copying,

and adopting an affirmative procurement

policy.

The full report was submitted in partial

fulfillment of Contract No. 68-C2-0148,

Work Assignment 3-10 by Science Applications International Corporation under the

sponsorship of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Carole O. Bell, Mary Hoel, and Henry Huppert are with Science Applications International Corporation, Newport RI 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 Service,

Bulk Mail Center, Dallas, TX,” (Order No. PB97-100028; Cost: $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

The 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

Penalty for Private Use

$300

EPA/600/SR-96/111