Ark Valley Voice received this message Sunday evening from Buena Vista Mayor Libby Fay. The fact is, it is the job of the United States Post Office to deliver the mail, not deal with our trash and recycling. We heartily endorse this message to our community and hope that civic responsibility will replace this childish behavior.
I visited the post office today (Sunday) and found this inexcusable litter. The post office is not to blame! Irresponsible mail recipients are.
I personally witnessed a woman tearing her mail and adding it to the heap. I confronted her and asked why she would do such a thing. She said she “hoped the post office would learn something.”
Citizens, senators, Town staff, and I have worked to get free post office boxes for qualifying residents. The post office is not responsible for handling trash from recipients. If a receptacle is overflowing, a decent person will take their unwanted mail home to their own trash or recycling.
Mayor Libby Fay
Buena Vista
Featured image: Buena Vista Mayor Libby Fay took this photo of trash accumulating inside the Buena Vista Post Office; unacceptable refuse left there by residents.
I heartily agree with Mayor Libby. The post office is not responsible for anyone’s junk mail, mail one is not interested in, etc. As we all are aware, the post office just like most other employers in this country do not have enough staff. Gathering recycling, bagging up the trash, etc. should not be part of the expected duties of the stretched staff; they manage the mail. As the Mayor wisely stated, you can take your own pieces of junk mail home to dispose of; it’s just not that difficult. Frankly, I believe Libby took this picture, but I am shocked — well, only a little — that residents would behave this way. It could be expected that the post office removes the recycling bin and trash receptacle altogether.