UPS has announced a "green" pickup option for small- to medium-sized businesses that eliminates regularly scheduled stops on days when the customer doesn't need the service. UPS Smart Pickup(SM) is the latest in a series of UPS's Decision Green efforts and is designed for customers who want the convenience of a scheduled pickup but who may not ship a package every day. The service uses UPS technology to ensure that a UPS driver stops at a customer location to pick up a package only when a package is, in fact, being shipped.

This new service is expected to eliminate 8 million miles from the total driven by UPS each year in the U.S. and will save an estimated 793,000 gallons of fuel and 7,800 metric tons of CO2 emissions.

"Before UPS Smart Pickup, UPS would often arrive at a customer's location only to discover that the customer had no packages for pickup that day," says chief information officer David Barnes. "For the first time, a UPS service integrates the company's operational and customer-facing technology to eliminate unnecessary stops. UPS Smart Pickup is particularly compelling for customers who are interested in cost-effective ways to make environmentally responsible choices, while at the same time helping UPS reduce miles and lessen our carbon footprint."

For customers, the entire process is convenient, automated and transparent. A pickup is only scheduled when a customer processes a package in a UPS shipping system. The weekly flat fee for UPS Smart Pickup is $10.

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