Easy ways you can save money and help the environment

Green packaging

USPS is the only shipping company in the world to have earned Cradle to Cradle Certification^CM for its environmentally friendly design of both Priority Mail and Express Mail supplies, ReadyPost boxes, envelopes and labels. Priority Mail and Express Mail supplies are free and can be delivered at no charge. Order from the Post Office that’s always open 24 hours a day, usps.com.

Green postage

All 27 billion postage products, including stamps, personalized envelopes and stamped postal cards, are now Cradle to Cradle Certified^CM — designed to be safe and environmentally responsible. Find a large assortment of stamps and customized cards at Postal Store and the card store.

Green shipping

Save fuel by going online to order free shipping supplies, print shipping labels and pay for postage all right from your computer. The Postal Service will pick up packages free the next business day and send them on their way. See how skipping the trip to the Post Office saves time, money and fuel with our online calculator.

Green delivery

The Postal Service has the largest civilian fleet in the world — 216,000 vehicles. Among them are three-wheeled electric vehicles with zero gas emissions that operate at a cost of only 2 cents a mile, as well as vehicles that can operate on compressed natural gas, propane, ethanol, and fuel cells. We also have 30 large all-electric trucks delivering mail in Manhattan.

Recycling

The Postal Service has made recycling a priority. Secure recycle bins in more than 10,000 Post Office lobbies make it easy for customers to recycle their PO Box mail, helping customers divert tons of paper from landfills. The Postal Service recycled 225,000 tons of paper, plastics and other waste in 2009, which avoided more than 700,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.