Amazon sells and ships a lot of stuff, and Prime members can order almost anything and have it delivered in a couple of days, with no purchase minimum required. While this is great for sales, especially when it comes to impulse buying, it also creates a packaging and shipping problem.
That cute case for your new iPhone you just ordered? That doesnât come shipping-ready to Amazonâs warehouse, and it must be picked and packaged prior to shipping. In the past, it might arrive in an over-sized cardboard box with air pillows or craft paper, but in the last year, Amazon transitioned away from that in favor of plastic mailers.
Well, it turns out these small plastic mailers are creating problems for recycling facilities because theyâre not easily recyclable. The mailers themselves have to get sorted separately, which is not only labor-intensive but will disrupt sortation and keep larger bundles from being recycled. Even the attached shipping label needs to be removed before it goes to a sortation center.
