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05 Jan 00 - reusable envelopes; coffee cups; humor; reuse books; incentives ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive --------------------- The first three postings are in response to the 1/3/00 posting about the United Parcel Service (UPS) reusable shipping envelopes. The posting noted that UPS is believed to be the first major company to use a reusable paperboard envelope (roughly 9 by 13 inches) for overnight shipping. --------------------- >From Mike Ruby, Envirometrics, Seattle WA: Actually, Federal Express sends out its invoices in a neat reusable envelope. E-mail: mruby [A T] envirometrics [D O T] com -------------------- >From Susan Kinsella, Conservatree and Susan Kinsella & Associates, Novato, CA: Re: UPS's reusable paperboard envelope - I haven't seen that one yet, but I did want to point out that Federal Express (FedEx) has been using a reusable billing envelope for several years now. When you get their bill, you pull a flap out of the envelope that was mailed to you, tear off a little bit (it's easy when you see the envelope and directions on it), then put in your payment, fold the flap over the original address, and you now have an envelope with their address on it, ready to mail back to them. I interviewed people from FedEx for an article on 2-way envelopes 4-5 years ago and they said that their envelope supplier (Tension Envelope) actually came to THEM to propose that they cut their envelope orders in half. Tension had developed this 2-way envelope and thought it would work well for FedEx. The price, FedEx said, was reduced, although not cut in half, but what really sold them on it was all the money they saved by cutting in half the warehouse space and handling needed (because they now had only one envelope, instead of a #10 outgoing envelope and a #9 return envelope), as well as saving a space on their inserting machine. There are several 2-way envelope designs from at least 3 envelope sources, some even appropriate for direct mail, incorporating the request letter into the whole package. I always suggest them for company and government billing situations and can't understand why they're not more popular. When I ask companies why they haven't switched to them, despite the cost savings, they give vague answers that seem to have more to do with tradition and what they're used to than any downside to the two-way envelopes themselves. E-mail: seek (AT) susankinsella (DOT) com ----------------------- >From Christine Feinthel, Montgomery County Master Recycler/Composter Volunteer Program, Derwood, MD: It is not advertised as such, but the Tyvek envelope is easily reusable by turning it inside out. Unlike other plastics, it has some of the properties of paper by readily accepting ink and adhesives. With seams opened, it is also an excellent material for mapmaking by children. E-mail: mrc [ A T ] windsor [ D O T ] com --------------------- The next two postings are in response to the 12/11/99 posting about how Starbucks plans to continue using a separate cardboard sleeve for hot coffee cups, and the responses to that posting: --------------------- >From Naomi Friedman, National Association of Counties, Washington, DC: Personally, I think this speaks to the fact that companies, such as Starbucks, should be more responsible and aggressive in encouraging the use of reusable cups. I think they should give a discount of at least 10 cents for coffee in refillable cups versus disposable. We, in the recycling community, also need to be better at encouraging the use of mugs. Folks should not leave their house without one! E-mail: NFRIEDMA [ AT ] naco [ DOT ] org ----------------------- >From Barb Nesheim, Minnesota Materials Exchange Alliance, Minneapolis, MN: A follow-up on the hot coffee. This is Barb from Minnesota who questioned why it needs to be so hot. No, I am not a coffee drinker, so I just wondered why it needs to be so hot. I'm sure most people reading this do use reusable cups, and I'm always glad to hear that promotions regarding reusable cups and cheap refills seem to go well. E-mail: neshe005 ( A T ) tc ( D O T ) umn ( D O T ) edu ---------------------- >From Peter Allison, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Quality Engineering, Boston, MA: In response to Portia Sinnott's 12/30/99 request for good source reduction humor, my mom once sent me a cartoon depicting a guy in a guillotine: The "attendant" asked him, "Paper or plastic?" A bit sick (the cartoon, not my mom), but funny. I don't think it's in the public domain, but I would be happy to fax it to you if you send me an e-mail. E-mail: Peter ( DOT ) Allison ( AT ) state ( DOT ) ma ( DOT ) us --------------------- >From Jerry Powell, Resource Recycling magazine, Portland, OR: Two tidbits: - Vicki Lansky, a contributing editor for Family Circle magazine, has published several books on reuse. "Another Use for 101 Common Household Items" provides practical hints on use and reuse. "The Bag Book" provides similar details for the use and reuse of plastic, paper and cloth bags. For details, call (612) 912-0036. - Shoppers in many Tokyo suburbs are now using "point cards" as a way of providing an economic incentive for waste reduction behavior. According to the Nikkei Weekly, shoppers hand their cards to the clerk if returning refillable bottles or using a cloth bag. A credit is added to the card by computer. When shoppers accumulate sufficient credits, the value can be applied to purchases at participating stores. Many retailers provide special discounts on selected items for point-card holders. The program is offered by the local chamber of commerce. E-mail: RESRECYCLE [A T] aol [D O T] com - end -