Blue Mailboxes Disappearing Nationally but Remaining in Kensington

The big blue mail boxes found on corners are disappearing nationwide, but the collection boxes remain a prominent fixture in the Kensington community.

In 2008 there were 250,000 blue collection boxes nationwide, according to Sharon Tennison, spokesperson for the Maryland suburbs of the United States Postal Service. In 2010, that number decreased to 169,865.

Even neighboring areas like . But mailboxes in Kensington are not disappearing. In fact, no mailboxes have been removed since 2007.

“There has not been any blue collection boxes removed permanently for the past three years [in Kensington],” Tennison said. “Like other areas there have been blue boxes removed temporarily for repair and then returned.” 

Tennison said that the main reason a blue collection box would be permanently removed would be due to the lack of use by residents.

Kensington resident, Amy Antonelli who is the Assistant Dean of the School of Music at Catholic University, said that she and her husband use a blue mailbox that is only half a block away from their home. She said she appreciates the convenience of the boxes.

“The blue box is only four houses ways,” she said. “If we go to the post office, we’d have to drive.”

The is a short commute away for most residents, but the blue boxes are often just at the end of the block and more accommodating.

So how does the United States Postal Service judge whether a blue mail box should stay or go?

Routine tests are conducted locally to determine the usage of the mail boxes, according to Freda Sauter, a spokesperson for the United States Postal Service.

“If there are 25 pieces of mail or less in a given mailbox for months on end, it costs the Postal Service money in fuel and time for our carriers to drive to that mailbox and collect the small amount of mail,” Sauter said. “Removing the box is simple, good business sense in that respect.”

Mailboxes came about in the late 1850s when people who purchased stamps were looking for a more convenient way to send mail, said Sauter. The postal service started posting small, metal boxes attached to lamp posts to collect mail but in 1913, when the postal service began accepting larger packages, they realized they needed bigger boxes so they created the modern-day boxes that sat on the streets. Then in the 1950s the postal service wanted to change its image and painted these boxes red and blue.

“Eventually they just became the blue iconic boxes everyone is familiar with today,” said Sauter.

During the 1950s to the early 2000s, the use of these boxes increased exponentially. But as the result of societal changes, the usage of these boxes has decreased significantly. One of those societal changes is “electronic diversion,” said Sauter.

“People are communicating via email and test message instead of sending personal letters or greeting cards,” she said. “More people are receiving and paying their bills online.”

Jim Chambers, Kensington resident and owner of Prime Seafood, a business he runs out of his home, said he uses the collection box on the corner of Kensington Parkway and Saul Road, regularly, instead of using the web.

Chambers said he believes that the reason why there are so many mailboxes in the area is because many people in the community are like him: business owners.

He also said he sometimes chooses to hand the outgoing mail to the carrier, when he catches him or her.

“A lot of my outgoing billing goes in these blue mailboxes,” he said. ”Sometimes we do burden our carrier with outgoing mail.”

There are currently 88 blue collection boxes in the Town of Kensington, and they'll all remain as long as they are being used frequently.

“As the Postal Service continues to adapt to America's changing mailing habits and preferences, we continue to expand access by providing postal products and services at locations that are more convenient to customers: grocery stores, pharmacies, retail centers, office supply stores, and at usps.com,” Sauter said.