Rubber band alternatives: greener ways to bundle mail
Every day, millions of letters and parcels move through the postal system. Rubber bands are often used to keep bundles of mail together, but when they escape into the environment, they can become a serious hazard for wildlife.
And because most are red, birds sometimes feed them to chicks, thinking they are worms (the same could happen for creatures that eat worms, like badgers or moles). One man even found one in his cat’s litter tray.
Take littered rubber bands home to snip up, and bin securely if not reusing (keep away from children and pets).
A small item with terrible impact
If you’ve ever had to visit a post office depot, you often find literally dozens of rubber bands littered everywhere. It’s not the postie’s fault, it’s the responsibility of Royal Mail to switch to alternatives.
There are no figures for how many are littered, though thousands have been collected for litter campaigns. What is known is that in 2021 to 2022, Royal Mail bought 304 million, which works out at an average use of over 800,000 a day. So it’s likely thousands are littered daily.
Good alternatives to rubber bands
There are several potential alternatives Royal Mail could explore instead of relying on loose rubber bands to secure bundles of mail.
Velcro One Band Reusable ties (above, could also be used for paper bundles) can easily bundle loose items together for easy transport, and can also be cut to the desired length and are reusable. They are made from tough nylon that won’t break down and are less likely to be dropped and littered.
Paper belly bands are one of the simplest options. Made from paper or cardboard, these bands can be wrapped around a stack of letters or leaflets to keep them together during handling. If produced from recycled paper and designed for recycling, they could provide a more wildlife-friendly alternative.
Recyclable paper tape could be another option where appropriate. Paper-based adhesive tape can be used to secure groups of mail.
Cardboard sleeves or wraps could work particularly well for larger bundles. A lightweight sleeve made from recycled cardboard could hold multiple pieces of mail securely while eliminating the need for separate elastic bands.
Bundle-specific packaging is another possibility. Rather than adding a separate fastening material, postal operators could look at whether bundles can be designed or folded in ways that keep their contents together. This could reduce the need for additional materials altogether.
