San Francisco, the famous city by the bay, is hoping to soon be sending out significantly less physical government mail every day. The city—along with Newark and New York—is participating in a trial program with Zumbox, a company that’s hoping to move much of America from traditional mail to paperless online mail.

Through Zumbox’s new “paperless postal service” San Francisco residents can opt to access their municipal mail online without having to receive it through their everyday e-mail address. Instead, SF dwellers visit the Zumbox website and use their name and physical address (work or home) to access an online mailbox. The move could result in significant savings for the city if the service becomes popular, as Zumbox has made sending the mail free for municipal and state governments (receiving mail as a consumer is always free).

Although the financial benefits of the switch are an undeniable motivator in trying the new technology, all three cities involved have cited the environmental ramifications of traditional mail as a key reason for the change. In San Francisco, a shift to paperless mail could be crucial in the city’s goal of reaching zero waste by 2020. It’s not hard to imagine the positive effect that could follow in the trial cities through reduced paper and fuel use, especially if many residents are willing to alter their postal habits.

Of course, there’s still some rocky terrain ahead. The number of residents willing to switch to Zumbox will be limited by those who want physical copies of certain documents and others who don’t have computers they can use to access the Zumbox site. Some residents willing to consider the switch have already been put off by tech issues on the site that have prevented them from accessing their paperless mail. Remembering to check in regularly with the site could be another hurdle for users.

Shortcomings aside, Zumbox could quickly become a key player in the eco-industry, saving cities and businesses money and saving important resources at the same time. If you live in a trial city, you can check out your greener mailbox by logging in at Zumbox now.

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