What is mail recovery center

A Mail Recovery Center (MRC) is a facility operated by the United States Postal Service (USPS) that specializes in recovering and processing undeliverable mail. The primary goal of an MRC is to identify and correct errors in mailing addresses, allowing mail to be delivered to its intended recipients.

Here's how it works:

  1. Mail that cannot be delivered due to incorrect or incomplete addresses is sent to an MRC.
  2. The MRC uses specialized software and manual processing to identify the errors and correct the addresses.
  3. The corrected addresses are then used to forward the mail to its intended destination.
  4. If the corrected address is still invalid, the mail is returned to the sender as "undeliverable."

Mail Recovery Centers are equipped with advanced technology, including:

  1. Automated Address Correction (AAC) machines that use optical character recognition (OCR) to read and correct addresses.
  2. Manual processing teams that review and correct addresses that cannot be automated.
  3. Data analytics tools that help identify patterns and trends in undeliverable mail.

The USPS operates several Mail Recovery Centers across the United States, with the largest facility located in Atlanta, Georgia. These centers process millions of pieces of mail each year, helping to ensure that mail is delivered efficiently and effectively.

Some of the benefits of Mail Recovery Centers include:

  1. Reduced waste: By correcting addresses and forwarding mail to its intended destination, MRCs help reduce the amount of undeliverable mail that ends up in landfills.
  2. Increased efficiency: MRCs help streamline the mail processing and delivery process, reducing the time and resources required to handle undeliverable mail.
  3. Improved customer satisfaction: By ensuring that mail is delivered to its intended recipients, MRCs help improve customer satisfaction and reduce the number of complaints about undeliverable mail.

Overall, Mail Recovery Centers play a critical role in the USPS's efforts to deliver mail efficiently and effectively, while also reducing waste and improving customer satisfaction.