Date: Fri 29-Mar-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Business-Mail-Boxes-Etc

Full Text:

w/photo: One Business Makes Even Its `Peanuts' Go A Long Way

By Kaaren Valenta

The less trash we produce, the more we help clean up the environment. That's

the philosophy behind Mail Boxes Etc's recycling programs.

Robert P. Ostro, who became the new owner of the Mail Boxes Etc franchise in

the Sand Hill Plaza last fall, said his store is participating in the MBE

Centers national plastic loose-fill recycling program, the Canon Cartridge

recycling program and other programs aimed at helping to reduce trash.

"Instead of throwing away those packing peanuts and used printer cartridges,

recycle them," Mr Ostro said. "Bring them to us, and together we can make a

small contribution to a cleaner planet."

For several years Newtown residents have been able to dispose of styrofoam

packing peanuts at the recycling center on Ethan Allen Road. That will

continue, of course, but Public Works Director Fred Hurley said it costs the

town to haul the material to a recycler.

"I always support other ventures, like this one, because it achieves the same

purpose without costing the local taxpayer money," he said.

Besides the Cannon printer cartridges, Mr Ostro said his store will recycle

those of other manufacturers if they have an automatic return sticker on them.

Recycled cartridges are used to create cartridges for resale, thus conserving

resources as well as keeping the environment clean, he said.

Styrofoam peanuts are widely used because they are one of the most

cost-efficient packaging materials available. They provide better protection

for fragile items, are lightweight, easy to handle and keep shipping costs to

a minimum.

Having worked for years in private industry as the director of general

services for a large corporation, Mr Ostro was in charge of packing and

shipping. So when he looked for a business of his own, he thought Mail Boxes

Etc was ideal. He owned a franchise in Wilton for five years before selling it

and purchasing the franchise in Newtown last October. He operates the Newtown

store with his nephew, James Endico, who is the manager.

Mr Ostro has been making changes to the store in recent months, adding a

competitively priced line of office supplies and a restroom, both for customer

convenience. He stocks more than 40 sizes of boxes to fit anything a customer

might want to ship, from clothing wardrobes to skis and golf clubs, plus a

dozen sizes of mailing tubes, padded envelopes, book, video and padded

diskette mailers, and 10 sizes of gift boxes.

"Last week I packed and shipped an antique clock," he said. "I've shipped sets

of snow tires, a china cabinet from Canada, 20 shepherd's crooks - you name

it. As a commercial business, I can usually get better rates with a national

mover than a private individual can."

Mail Boxes Etc is a United Parcel Service (UPS)-authorized shipper (in fact,

UPS owns a chunk of the national franchise), and also contracts with Federal

Express and other national and international shippers. Like the store in Sand

Hill Plaza, the 3,000 MBE franchise centers around the world are independently

owned and operated.

A large focus of Mr Ostro's franchise is on assisting the growing number of

people who run businesses from their homes. One wall of his store is filled

with private mail boxes which, along with a fax and a copy machine, are

available 24 hours a day to keyholders.

"This is especially good for small businesses because they have an address,

230 South Main Street, instead of a post office box," he said. "We accept

packages from UPS and Federal Express for them, will check the box for mail if

they call us, and will customize the forwarding of mail when they are on

vacation or traveling."

Mail Boxes Etc also can provide printed business forms, business cards and

letterhead, and custom size boxes to fit the products of small businesses.

"We're very service oriented," he said. "That's how we stay in business."