LOS ANGELES - The Pacific Area of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) not only achieved the waste reduction goal in its Lead Free Wheel Weight Initiative, but even exceeded its original goal by more than 30 percent.

Maintaining a fleet of more than 30,000 vehicles in 34 vehicle maintenance facilities (VMFs) in California and Hawaii, the agency signed up for the National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP) in February 2008 and set a waste reduction goal to completely eliminate lead wheel weights as part of its sustainable business practices. The original lead reduction goal was 7,656 lbs. The complete transition to the use of lead-free wheel weights on all Pacific Area delivery vehicles was successful, and USPS exceeded its goal by achieving a reduction of 10,938 lbs. (5.5 tons).

The initiative has served as the catalyst for the USPS headquarters' decision to switch the entire USPS delivery fleet of 215,000 vehicles to lead-free wheel weights. When fully implemented at the national level, this initiative will be directly responsible for eliminating as much as 37 tons of lead from entering the environment and the postal workplace, according to the organization.