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I remain convinced you can generate cheap power by having everyone in your neighborhood donate small amounts of money to a wide variety of non-profits, and burn

I remain convinced you can generate cheap power by having everyone in your neighborhood donate small amounts of money to a wide variety of non-profits, and burn the resulting flood of mail.

senortumnus 2y ago
Please do this, for science!
crazygringo 2y ago
I am... genuinely curious if this is a viable method for free fuel. Less so with non-profits, more for things like catalogs, free magazine things, etc. Like can you power a "wood" stove with enough dense paper? And if you're getting 100 heavy catalogs a day, will the USPS keep delivering them? Or is there some kind of practical limit that the USPS won't do residential delivery of commercial mail beyond a certain daily amount? Surely there's some reason you can't heat your house this way.
- nitwit005 2y ago
  I'm not sure what the general policy is, but here they will ask you to pick up your mail if you receive too much. The sender is paying, and they are generally pleased people are giving then money.
- willcipriano 2y ago
  Probably have to compress the paper like those logs they sell for easier campfires.[0] Loose paper burns quickly so you'd be filling up the stove constantly. [0]https://www.amazon.com/Pine-Mountain-Traditional-Campfire-Fireplace/dp/B0042FWEJ4 https://www.amazon.com/Pine-Mountain-Traditional-Campfire-Fi...
  - deathsentience 2y ago
    There is also the concern of burning ink/toner. I don’t believe that’s safe to inhale. Inks contain volatile organic compounds and heavy metals.
akomtu 2y ago
$100 = 600 kWh = 450 lbs of firewood. That's a big pile of mail to burn.
- gorlilla 2y ago
  You would need approximately 256 pounds of wood pellets (8,000 BTU/lb) to generate 600 kWh of electricity.
infotainment 2y ago
Reminds me of in the olden days, nonprofits would often send donation return envelopes with valid, non-cancelled stamps on them. If you weren't inclined to send in another donation, you could remove those stamps and use them for your own mail!

I remain convinced you can generate cheap power by having everyone in your neighborhood donate small amounts of money to a wide variety of non-profits, and burn the resulting flood of mail.

senortumnus 2y ago

Please do this, for science!

crazygringo 2y ago

I am... genuinely curious if this is a viable method for free fuel. Less so with non-profits, more for things like catalogs, free magazine things, etc. Like can you power a "wood" stove with enough dense paper? And if you're getting 100 heavy catalogs a day, will the USPS keep delivering them? Or is there some kind of practical limit that the USPS won't do residential delivery of commercial mail beyond a certain daily amount? Surely there's some reason you can't heat your house this way.

nitwit005 2y ago
I'm not sure what the general policy is, but here they will ask you to pick up your mail if you receive too much. The sender is paying, and they are generally pleased people are giving then money.
willcipriano 2y ago
Probably have to compress the paper like those logs they sell for easier campfires.[0] Loose paper burns quickly so you'd be filling up the stove constantly. [0]https://www.amazon.com/Pine-Mountain-Traditional-Campfire-Fireplace/dp/B0042FWEJ4 https://www.amazon.com/Pine-Mountain-Traditional-Campfire-Fi...
- deathsentience 2y ago
  There is also the concern of burning ink/toner. I don’t believe that’s safe to inhale. Inks contain volatile organic compounds and heavy metals.

akomtu 2y ago

$100 = 600 kWh = 450 lbs of firewood. That's a big pile of mail to burn.

gorlilla 2y ago
You would need approximately 256 pounds of wood pellets (8,000 BTU/lb) to generate 600 kWh of electricity.

infotainment 2y ago

Reminds me of in the olden days, nonprofits would often send donation return envelopes with valid, non-cancelled stamps on them. If you weren't inclined to send in another donation, you could remove those stamps and use them for your own mail!