Everyone has seen Royal Mail elastic bands scattered along footpaths and driveways. This litter phenomenon is a frequent cause of complaint in the populist media. I am reliably informed that the bands changed from red to a pale beige in 2010. Apparently, the red bands were more biodegradable and “officially” easier to spot… but it didn’t seem to reduce the numbers being cast to the ground. Perhaps they were changed back to blend in a bit better with the dust, or may be beige is cheaper. (Elastic bands cost Royal Mail nearly £1billion per annum)
Birds peck at them. They get caught on hedgehogs. Being the good waste and resources consultant, I began collecting them for reuse.
The craze for loom bands came and went. The Government sold off the Royal Mail. I decided to make a small contribution to returning the bands to the Royal Mail via my local postbox:
You can do this more formally if you like, by sending them, free of charge, to: Royal Mail, Rubber Band Recycling Department, Freepost, Tomb Street, Belfast BT1 1AA. But I’d like to think these little interventions will proliferate on many more postboxes around the country. My band has been in place nearly a week, and either no one has noticed it, or people quite like it enough not to remove it.
Things come and go , some things go round and round, but there’s always an end eventually.
No Time Like the Present 