The agreement, with postal workers' union CWU, looks set to scrap the three-items-per-week limit set for the delivery of post that does not bear householders' addresses (see letsrecycle.com story).
– Lord Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, LGA
LGA chairman Lord Sandy Bruce-Lockhart wrote to Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier complaining that an increase in junk mail deliveries will bring added waste disposal costs to councils.
He said this would hit Council Taxpayers in the pocket as well as the environment through extra waste going to landfill.
Lord Bruce-Lockhart said: “I am concerned that the expansion in 'junk mail' will lead to an increase in the amount of paper that is either thrown into landfill or has to be collected in recycling bins. This comes at a time when councils are trying to minimise waste, increase recycling and are striving to provide value for money to the taxpayer.”
Responding to the letter, a spokesman for Royal Mail denied Lord Bruce-Lockhart's suggestion that the agreement with the CWU would mean “unlimited” junk mail.
Union
The Communication and Workers' Union (CWU) told letsrecycle.com today that the agreement with the Royal Mail over unaddressed mail was still to be finalised, with “fine details still to be thrashed out”.
The details requiring agreement including payment for postal workers to deliver more unaddressed mail and the need to limit deliveries on a weight basis for health and safety reasons.
Defending the need to deliver unaddressed mail, CWU assistant secretary Bob Gibson said: “The issue of an increase in the delivery of door to door items is simply one of supply and demand. If direct mailing wasn’t effective, organisations wouldn’t use it.”
Cost
Lord Bruce-Lockhart told the Royal Mail that every extra tonne of waste that goes to landfill now costs the taxpayer an extra 100. He said last year had seen 78,000 tonnes of junk mail dumped in landfill sites – “the equivalent weight of 37 London Eyes”.
The LGA chairman added: “The increase in the amount of unaddressed mail being delivered to people's homes will not help in reducing our impact on the environment.”
Information
Lord Bruce-Lockhart also demanded clarification over the Royal Mail's warning to householders that do seek to de-register from their unaddressed mail delivery scheme.
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The organisation has said on its website: “It is not possible for Royal Mail to separate material that you don’t want from material that you do want, such as advertising offers or leaflets from Central and Local Government and other public bodies. Opting out from Royal Mail Door to Door stops all unaddressed items from being delivered by us.”
Lord Bruce-Lockhart said in response to this threat: “There is a real danger that you are holding the sword of Damocles over the heads of residents, who feel they cannot stop unaddressed mail for fear of losing out on this useful and vital source of information.”
- Householders can now opt out of the Royal Mail unaddressed mail delivery scheme by emailing optout@royalmail.com
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