Former Mailman in Federal Court Gets Probation for Refusing to Deliver Junk Mail
Former mailman Steven Padgett received probation in federal court for failing to deliver years worth of junk mail. Although the mailman did not stop delivering junk mail based on the environmental impact of junk mail, which accounts for 30% of all US mail. He did it because he couldn’t keep up with the volume of mail he had to deliver and still maintain a personal relationship with the residents on his route. Even so, environmental groups, such as Forest Ethics, have supported Padgett. The federal court sentenced Padgett to three years probation, a $3,000 fine, and 500 hours of community service.
Via: News & Observer
Image: uzvards on Flickr under a Creative Commons License
I don’t get how not delivering the junk mail saved him any time to “keep up his relationships”
with his “customers” (boy this is a mailman who believes in service!). Wouldn’t it take time to sort the junk mail out. More time than just to deliver it.
That said I can see why the people/groups that are supporting him on other grounds are doing so, of course. His rationale (the radical service postie) is noble too even if it isn’t totally without self interest (less deliveries - although the sorting issue comes up again).
Good on this postie! Nice job! It took quite a bit of fandangling to get rid of my junk mail, until I discovered a completely unpublicized rule in Canada. If you put a red dot on your mailbox in Canada, the postal worker does not put junk mail in your mailbox. It’s a nifty system, that could be adopted world wide.
Diana
http://www.carebagsonline.com