How Using a Virtual Mailbox Helps the Environment

Believe it or not, but using a virtual mailbox actually helps the environment. This is all due to junk mail.

The average household receives approximately 40 pounds of junk mail a year.

According to the U.S postal service, marketing materials sent through the post, (coupons, flyers, and advertisements) make up over half the mail received by U.S citizens, every year.

That’s a lot of paper. And while you may recycle some of this, a lot clearly does end up in the landfill, (research suggests up to 5.6 million tons).

Virtual mailboxes help to reduce this alarming amount of waste, by recycling the mail once it has arrived.

Let’s take a closer look at the process.

How virtual mailbox services recycle junk mail

The majority of virtual mailbox services have the means to automatically filter out junk mail once it arrives.

This not only reduces the amount of superfluous scanning of items for customers but also reduces the amount of junk mail you see in your service dashboard. Essentially, only the mail you need ends up in your account.

The filtered out junk mail is gathered and is sent off to the service provider recycling partner to be processed in an eco-friendly manner.

For large virtual mailbox services, the amount of recycled materials is impressive. Earth Class Mail can boast more than 30 containers a week. This translates to 6 tons of paper recycled every week.

This includes mail that has arrived, been viewed remotely by customers, and shredding and disposal have been requested.

In the case of Earth Class Mail customers, their recycled mail is part of a process that eventually turns into recycled products sold at retailers such as Costco. 

How to know if your mailbox service recycles junk and shredded mail

The service provider website should have details of their recycling policy. Have a look and if it is not easy to find, send them an email.

It is also worth asking about who the recycling partners are, and how the paper sent for recycling is processed. If the provider is scant on details, or worse still, does not have a robust recycling policy in place, you may want to think about using a different service.

Earth Class Mail – Leading the eco-friendly way

Providers such as Earth Class Mail are taking the environment very seriously in their business ethos.

Not only do they recycle all junk and shredded mail, but they have also entered a partnership with the National Forest Foundation to plant a tree for each of their customers, (this began on Earth day 2021) 

For the rest of the year, the company has also committed to donating a tree each time a new customer signs up. 

This means, that just by starting a monthly service plan with Earth Class Mail, a tree will be planted on your behalf.

Furthermore, Earth Class Mail has set a goal to become carbon neutral by the end of 2022.

How Virtual Mailbox services can help make your business greener

Essentially, a virtual mailbox service helps your business cut down on paper waste through the use of digitized mail. It also reduces the need to drive to and from the post office for the sending and retrieval of mail and packages.

On a larger scale, you can reduce the size of your mailroom operations. Increased efficiency in staff numbers, reduced time of mail sorting, and lower utility expenses all amount to a greener business.

• Related Content: Benefits of a Virtual Address for Small Business Owners

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