If you’re going to chuck that old gadget, the U.S. Postal Service now offers a way to trash small electronics responsibly.

Called the Mail Back program, free envelopes are available at 1,500 Post Offices. Drop the gadget in and the USPS takes care of the rest — postage paid. There is no limit on envelopes.

This is a trial program that is paid for by Clover Technologies Group, a printing supplies company that has a “zero waste to landfill” policy.

Some Mail Back limits: The gadget must fit in a 5.5″ by 6.25″ envelope and total contents can’t weigh more than 13 ounces. But anything bigger than 13 ounces isn’t much of a gadget, right? That should take care of inkjet and laser cartridges, digital cameras, PDA, cell phones, etc. If Clover can’t refurbish the gadget, the company disassembles it and recycles the electronic components inside.

Interestingly, there was a lot of competition for this contract. According to the Postal services, Clover beat out 19 other companies. While the Postal Service isn’t paying Clover anything — nor does the USPS get any money from the company — the key to Clover winning the deal (and free publicity) is its zero-waste-to-landfill policy. Clover must be dedicated. It even has to pay postage on the envelopes!

Richard Maher, a USPS spokesman, says that all Post Offices in OC have the envelopes. In fact, the envelopes can be found at all PO’s in Southern California. If the pilot program goes well, USPS hopes to go national as soon as the fall.

For those keeping track, the Postal Service says its greeness includes:

• Recycling 1 million tons of paper, plastic and other materials annually.
• Generated more than $7.5 million in savings through recycling and waste prevention programs last year.
• Uses nearly 100-percent recyclable materials for the more-than-half billion Express Mail and Priority Mail envelopes and boxes. Based on the recycled content of these envelopes and boxes, more than 15,000 metric tons of carbon equivalent emissions (climate change gases) now are prevented annually.
• Received Cradle-to-Cradle Certification on packaging from MBDC (McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry) for human and environmental health.

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