A Royal Mail rubber band is a small red elastic loop used by the state-owned postal delivery service in the United Kingdom. In the course of its work, the Royal Mail consumes nearly 1 billion rubber bands per annum to tie together bundles of letters at sorting offices.[1] In the 2000s, complaints about Royal Mail rubber bands littering the streets of Britain have given rise to ongoing press interest in this minor cultural phenomenon.
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In a response to a Freedom of Information Act request made by Steve Woods to the Royal Mail in December 2008, the company disclosed that it used the following numbers of rubber bands in each of the three years from 2005/6-2007/8:[1]
According to the Daily Record, costs for rubber bands in the 2007/8 period were £982,677.[3] Figures obtained by The Daily Telegraph showed that between 2007 and 2011, spending on elastic bands increased by 40%.[4] In 2009/2010, the numbers used equate to one rubber band being used for every 28 letters that the Royal Mail delivered.[2]
Complaint and comment on the theme of discarded rubber bands is a recurring focus of media interest. A Times story in 2006—Posties' red rubber bands stretch public's patience—is fairly typical. It notes a campaign by the London Borough of Lewisham's mayor, who complains that an estimated 5,000 bands are dropped in his borough each month; details the response to a November 2005 BBC Radio Essex programme in which listeners were asked to send in found rubber bands; allegedly 10,000 were received; and makes a range of more or less whimsical suggestions for the re-use of such bands—as rubber balls, "chopsticks for butterfingers", and rubber band tanks.[5] Lewisham's campaign[6] was picked up by a number of other news outlets, such as the BBC.[7]. The story resurfaces from time to time, independently of specific campaigns.[8]
At least one report of injury to wildlife has been made in respect of—presumably—Royal Mail rubber bands, in the case of a duck observed with a rubber band wrapped around its head.[9]
More recently, in April 2009, the Keep Britain Tidy campaign has involved itself in the issue as part of its Big Tidy Up campaign, and returned some 13,000 bands that had been collected by the public to the Royal Mail.[10][11][12] The campaign, together with a similar initiative by the Keep Scotland Beautiful organisation,[3] once again raised the profile of the issue, garnering coverage in the mainstream press.[13][14][15][16][17][18]
The Royal Mail emphasises that it instructs staff to re-use and not to abandon rubber bands, and that in mid-2004 it changed the colour of bands used from brown to red so that that they are easier to spot and retrieve.[5] It notes that neither the company, nor to its knowledge any staff, have ever been fined for rubber band littering; and that contemporary red rubber bands are designed to be more biodegradable than previously used brown bands, so as to lessen the environmental impact. Finally the company notes that it is seeking to redesign certain processes to diminish the use of bands.[1]
The UK press exhibits a fascination with the whimsical side of the issue: what to do with discarded bands. The Guardian newspaper went as far as to dedicate an editorial column to the subject.[19] More frequently the media solicits and presents lists of suggestions:[20] the BBC Radio 4's PM programme proffered the following:
Less frequently, papers discuss whether postmen or the Royal Mail should be fined for littering; the Keep Britain Tidy campaign group has suggested that environmental protection laws should be used to levy on-the-spot fines of £80 for dropping litter, with the penalty rising to £2,500 if the case goes to court.[22][13][23]