By Hawaii Hoku News Staff Writer
What’s Going On With All the Mailbox Moving?

The U.S. Postal Service has started pulling several blue street collection boxes around Oahu, and plenty of residents are noticing the empty concrete squares where their trusty boxes used to sit. Boxes in Foster Village, Mapunapuna, and Kapahulu were tagged with removal notices, leaving some people to drive farther just to drop a letter. For an island where “just down the road” sometimes means twenty minutes and a parking battle, folks are not exactly thrilled.

Some residents shared that they rely on these boxes because they do not feel comfortable leaving outgoing mail in their home mailbox. One kupuna near Mapunapuna said she avoids that completely because she worries about theft. Another resident mentioned that the box was also handy for bank customers who regularly drop documents after their errands.

Community to the Rescue

One Box Saved… for Now

The Mapunapuna box, tucked between Central Pacific Bank and Fisher Hawaii, was originally scheduled to vanish. But local residents saw the removal notice, picked up their phones, and let USPS know the box mattered. After the calls came in, the Postal Service kept that box in place. USPS confirmed that the public can comment on removal notices by calling the listed number, which in this case is (808) 423-3917.

Moral of the story: if you see a little white removal sign on your favorite blue box, grab your phone faster than you grab your slippers at the door.

Why Boxes Are Being Removed

Not a Hawaii-Only Issue… Even If It Feels Like It

USPS says the changes are part of a nationwide process to match box locations to how much mail people are actually sending these days. According to postal guidelines, each box is monitored for volume, and boxes should average around twenty five pieces of mail per day. If a box stays below that level over a review period, it can be relocated or removed.

With more people paying bills online and fewer letters going out in general, many boxes simply do not meet the daily average anymore. USPS also notes that it does not receive taxpayer funding for daily operations, so fuel and labor used to maintain low volume boxes become long term expenses that do not match current demand.

Translation: no one is using some of these boxes, and USPS does not want to send a truck every day to pick up three envelopes and a lost grocery list.

Hawaii’s Mail Habits in Context

Less Mail, More Boxes

Although USPS did not release specific usage numbers for Oahu’s boxes, studies show Hawaii historically sends less mail per adult than most mainland states. At the same time, the islands have a high number of collection boxes relative to population. That means more boxes competing for smaller amounts of mail, with some naturally falling below the thresholds for keeping them in place.

In practice, this means busy areas like shopping centers or post offices might see box upgrades, while quieter pockets lose theirs.

Part of a Larger Postal Makeover

Modernization, Not Mystery

USPS says the blue box removals fit into a broader effort to modernize routes, reduce fuel use, and increase efficiency. These changes align with national plans designed to adapt to declining letter mail volume and rising package demand.

For residents, the immediate impact depends on location. In neighborhoods with many seniors, people who don’t drive, or tight parking, losing a close by box can create real challenges. For others, it may just mean adjusting to a new drop off spot.

What Residents Can Do

You Still Have a Voice

If a removal notice appears on a box you rely on, you can call the number printed on the tag to share your input. For the current Oahu removals, that number is (808) 423-3917. Sharing how often the box is used, who depends on it, and how accessible alternatives are can influence decisions, as seen with Mapunapuna.

Residents can also use USPS’s online locator to find nearby boxes or post offices, check pickup times, and see which locations remain active.

For now, one thing is clear: blue boxes may come and go, but community feedback still matters. And on Oahu, where people will debate the best plate lunch for twenty minutes, you can bet they’ll speak up when someone tries to take away their favorite mailbox too.