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reduce their usage;
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reuse rather than repurchase;
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recycle rather than waste; and
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replace with environmentally-friendly alternatives wherever possible.
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Post's purchasing policy stipulates the purchase of environmentally-friendly alternatives, where all else is equal.
New Waste Management Recovery Initiative
Several years ago a number of international postal agencies decided to replace the reusable mail bag with a disposable bag, to reduce the need to return all bags back to the originating country. After being emptied, the disposable bags were sent to landfill.
In 2004, Australia Post implemented a new process to recover the bags so the materials could be recycled. The bags are sent to a certified disability employment organisation in Melbourne where they are packed in bundles ready to be shipped overseas. In China the bags are converted into the white, blue and red shopping bags and sold around the world. Australia Post donates the income from this program to charity. In 2004, it resulted in a reduction in landfill of some 990,000 bags, equivalent to approximately 45 tonnes of waste material. This is a sustainable initiative that resulted in a positive triple bottom line effect (ie. a positive environmental, social and economic outcome).
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