Editing Letter box (section)

==Recent developments==
[[File:20060724 intelligent house 03.jpg|thumb|alt=A number of letterboxes beside an electronic keyreader. A hand is holding an electronic key up to the reader, and one of the boxes is automatically opening.|An automated-opening letterbox in an apartment building in Sweden]]

===Australia===
Home Parcel boxes are being used in Australia to facilitate the delivery of parcels ordered over the internet as the letter box declines in use due to emails. Special locking mechanisms with dynamic codes are being used to create a new lock code on every delivery, ensuring greater security from petty theft. These lock codes are accessed by the delivery company using their barcode scanner and a standard barcode or QR code.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://australianparcelbox.com.au/pillar-parcel-box-letterbox-grocery-home-mail|title=Parcel Boxes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825181327/https://australianparcelbox.com.au/pillar-parcel-box-letterbox-grocery-home-mail|archive-date=August 25, 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=June 28, 2014}}</ref>

===Canada===
[[File:Canadian rural mailboxes.jpg|thumb|Rural Community Mail Box (CMB) Station in Canada]]

In Canada, community mailboxes (or ''Supermailboxes'') appeared in the late 1980s in newer suburban areas. Newer developments usually are temporarily supplied with green rural community mail boxes and replaced later with permanent supermailboxes.

Since 2004, many rural Canadian residents have been required to use community mail stations (known as a '''Community Mail Box''', or '''CMB''') instead of individual curbside mailboxes in an attempt to reduce health and safety complaints by [[Canada Post]] rural mail carriers.<ref name="DEN"/><ref name="CANPOST">''[http://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/aboutus/corporate/rural/faqs.jsf#22 Canada Post and Rural Canada: Stronger Together (FAQ)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206133937/http://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/aboutus/corporate/rural/faqs.jsf |date=2012-02-06 }}'', retrieved 26 January 2011</ref> This change has been extended to some suburban areas of the country as well.<ref name="RUC"/><ref>{{cite news|publisher=[[Nations Building News]] |title=Cluster Boxes Replacing Door-to-Door Delivery |url=http://www.nbnnews.com/NBN/issues/2006-06-19/Regulation/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010170313/http://www.nbnnews.com/NBN/issues/2006-06-19/Regulation/index.html |archive-date=2008-10-10 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|publisher=[[CBC News]] |title=Rural Community Mailboxes Unsafe, Say Residents |date=December 7, 2007 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/rural-mailboxes-unsafe-say-residents-1.634787 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227172711/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2007/12/07/mailboxesdangerous.html |archive-date=February 27, 2009 }}</ref>

In 2014, in an effort to cut costs, Canada Post announced its intent to phase out door-to-door delivery and adopt community mailboxes in 32% of urban centres. The plan faced criticism, especially due to accessibility concerns. The program was suspended immediately after the election of [[Justin Trudeau]]'s [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]] government in [[2015 Canadian federal election|2015]]—which had promised to cease further cutbacks to Canada Post.<ref name="ctv-doortodoor">{{cite web |url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/critics-blast-canada-post-s-plan-to-phase-out-door-to-door-delivery-1.1584625 |title=Critics blast Canada Post's plan to phase out door-to-door delivery |last=Commisso |first=Christina |date=December 11, 2013 |work=CTVNews.ca |publisher=Bell Media |access-date=May 1, 2014}}</ref><ref name=cbc-commmailsuspended>{{cite news|title=Canada Post halts controversial community mailbox program|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada-post-community-mailbox-1.3289647|access-date=27 October 2015|work=CBC News}}</ref>

===Europe===
====Sweden====
KopparStaden AB, a housing cooperative in Falun, Sweden, has begun to install centralized mail stations with individual letterboxes using electronically operated doors in its buildings.<ref>Strandberg, Erik, ''Intelligent Remote-Control Letter Box''{{Verify source|date=February 2012}}</ref>

==== United Kingdom ====
[[File:A bank of wall mounted post boxes.jpg|thumb|A bank of wall-mounted post boxes in the UK]]

Many designs of mailboxes have been created during recent years, with products suitable for both multi-occupancy residences (typically tower block private accommodation properties) and individual homes.

Deliveries of mail are typically made into the mailbox through an entry hole in the mailbox, where it drops into a secured compartment. The deposited items can only be retrieved an individual using a coded key (designed to work only with that particular coded lock), or by entering a number sequence via a combination lock. Electronic locks can also be used with mailboxes, but they must be used in an internal location due to their vulnerability to inclement weather.

Mailboxes are commonly manufactured using zintec{{clarify|date=October 2024}} steel, aluminium, stainless steel or galvanised steel, and then powder-coated to meet the design requirements of the mail recipient. Mailboxes can also be manufactured using materials including [[cast iron]] and plastic, but these are less commonly seen in the United Kingdom.

The reclamation and reuse of original Royal Mail post boxes in private homes, many stocked and sold by salvage yards, led to questions from the public about the legal position regarding their reuse,{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} which is the subject of expert opinion in a SalvoNEWS story from 2012.<ref>[https://www.salvoweb.com/salvonews/17096-private-use-of-antique-royal-mail-pillar-boxes-or-post-boxes "Private use of antique Royal Mail pillar boxes or post boxes"].</ref>

Mailboxes have slots, leading to possible vandalism or theft of deposited mail, but additional features are available to help reduce this, such as aperture restrictors, which allow the recipient to adjust the opening on their mailboxes.

In multi-occupancy buildings, especially new buildings, individual mailboxes are commonly grouped together in one location, allowing delivery people to deposit items without having to visit each individual door.

In 2019 the UK government agreed to ban low-level letter boxes after a campaign from the Royal Mail.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47457758|title=Low-level letter boxes set to be banned in 'victory' for posties|publisher=BBC News|date=5 March 2019|access-date=2020-04-11}}</ref> However, {{as of|lc=y|2023}}, the UK government has not taken action to ban low-level letter boxes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LTB 058/23 - CWU Low Level Letterbox Campaign: (CWU Response to the Government Public Consultation on 'The Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill - Reforms to National Planning Policy' – 'Letterbox Heights') |url=https://www.cwu.org/ltb/ltb-058-23-cwu-low-level-letterbox-campaign-cwu-response-to-the-government-public-consultation-on-the-levelling-up-and-regeneration-bill-reforms-to-national-planning-policy/ |access-date=2023-09-13 |publisher=The Communication Workers Union |language=en}}</ref>

===United States===
Numerous designs of mailboxes with improved construction and security have been [[patent]]ed in recent years, particularly in the United States.<ref>Frameless mail slot - Patent D480200; Airtight mail slot - Patent 2437319; Mail slot immobilizer - Patent D443125; Mail slot pouch assembly - Patent 4069965; Mail slot alarm - Patent 5382945; etc.{{Verify source|date=February 2012}}</ref> In 2001, the [[USPS]] first approved designs for locking curbside mailboxes to stem a rise in identity and mail theft.<ref name="Reference7A"/> With these secure designs, the incoming mail is placed into a slot or hopper by the mail carrier, where it drops into a secure locked compartment for retrieval by only the homeowner (who retains a key or combination to the lock). Locking mailboxes are generally constructed of heavy-gauge steel or aluminum plate, though some models are made of [[Rotational molding|roto-moulded]] polymer plastic.<ref name="BERN"/>

Because of the increased risk of vandalism to curbside mailboxes, numerous vandal-resistant boxes made of composite plastic or heavy-gauge steel or aluminum plate have also entered the market. Some composite mailboxes made of resilient polymer plastics and mounted on ground spikes can resist severe impacts from baseball bats or even being run over by a vehicle.<ref name="BERN"/>

In 1978, steady increases in postal service costs caused the USPS to insist on either curbside or [[centralized mail delivery]] for new suburban neighborhoods and developments.<ref>Judis, John B., ''Mission Impossible'', ''[[New York Times]]'', September 25, 1988{{Verify source|date=February 2012}}</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/16/AR2007061601213.html You've Got Mail... a Block Away], Philip Rucker, ''[[Washington Post]]'', 17 June 2007</ref> A 1995 cost delivery study published in a USPS Operations handbook listed per-address annual delivery costs as: Door-to-door, $243; Curbside, $154; Cluster/flock Box (centralized mail delivery), $106.<ref>{{cite news|last=Pappas |first=Max |title=Cluster Boxes, Not Door-to-Door Delivery |publisher=Providence, Rhode Island Journal |url=http://lexingtoninstitute.org/166.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081022232958/http://lexingtoninstitute.org/166.shtml |archive-date=October 22, 2008 }}</ref><ref>USPS Handbook PO-630, ''Post Offices Serving DOD Installations'', p.47</ref>

Large apartment buildings usually have a cluster/flock of mailboxes for all units, located in the entry lobby or in a nearby dedicated mailroom. There often is a special lock box (also called a "key keeper" or "Knox box") located at the outside entrance, which either gives access to a front door key or directly activates the front door [[electric strike]], to allow the mail delivery person to enter the building. A similar "Arrow lock" is usually located on the centralized mailbox, to allow the entire unit to be opened for efficient filling of individual mailboxes.<ref name="USPS-wall">{{cite web|title=U.S. Postal Service Standard Wall-mounted Centralized Mail Receptacles|url=http://about.usps.com/publications/engineering-standards-specifications/spusps-std-4c001/welcome.html#figure13|website=about.usps.com|publisher=USPS|access-date=2017-03-31|language=en|quote=SPUSPS-STD-4C001}}</ref>

[[File:FEMA - 20767 - Photograph by Robert Kaufmann taken on 12-21-2005 in Louisiana.jpg|thumb|left|A USPS CBU Mail Station]]

In the US, a property with a single mailing address but with multiple mail recipients may utilize a community mail station designated '''CBU''', or '''Cluster Box Unit'''. CBUs are typically stand-alone units that have locked individual compartments for each tenant in an apartment building, a trailer or mobile home park, or an office center.

By policy, the USPS is reluctant to establish direct to door delivery to new addresses, and now requires special approvals to initiate this service (Postal Operations Manual, Section 631.2) Instead, the USPS has insisted upon centralized mail delivery in virtually all newly constructed residential housing developments, condominiums, and gated communities by requiring or incentivizing the builder or developer to install larger '''NDCBU''' ('''Neighborhood Delivery Collection Box Unit''') stations. CBUs and NDCBUs are both commonly known as ''cluster mailboxes''. The NDCBU is a centralized community mail station with compartments for the centralized delivery of mail to multiple recipients at multiple addresses within a single neighborhood development or community.<ref name="WIL">Williamson, Sarah L., ''[https://archive.today/20110912055809/http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2011/aug/22/police-name-suspect-mailbox-break-ins-thefts-ar-1322546/ Police name suspect in mailbox break-ins, thefts]'', Hickory Daily Record, retrieved 23 January 2012</ref>

In new housing developments, the NDCBU location is fixed by the developer, not the USPS, and may be located hundreds of yards away from the addressee's actual residence.<ref name="RUC">Rucker, Philip, ''[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/16/AR2007061601213.html You've Got Mail, A Block Away]'', 17 June 2007, retrieved 23 January 2012</ref><ref name="ENT">[http://health.ktnv.com/story/10359672/entire-mailbox-cluster-stolen?clienttype=printable "Entire Mailbox Cluster Stolen"], Channel 13 Action News, Las Vegas, 13 May 2009, retrieved 23 January 2012 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015084640/http://health.ktnv.com/story/10359672/entire-mailbox-cluster-stolen?clienttype=printable |date=October 15, 2013 }}</ref> A parcel locker for receipt of packages and a separate compartment for outgoing mail are usually built into the station.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Nations Building News |title=Costly Mailbox Rules Take Effect in September |url=http://www.nbnnews.com/NBN/issues/2006-07-24/Multifamily/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705182634/http://www.nbnnews.com/NBN/issues/2006-07-24/Multifamily/index.html |archive-date=2008-07-05 }}</ref> The mail carrier will have a key to a large door on one side that reaches all the compartments, and the residents or tenants will each have a key to the door into their individual compartment on the other side.

The location of the NDCBU in a community or business center is extremely important, since neighborhood cluster box installations located in remote or poorly lighted areas invite large-scale mail theft or vandalism.<ref name="ENT"/><ref name="LIS">Lisaius, Som, ''[http://www.kold.com/story/16439200/mail-thieves-hit-sierra-vista-mobile-home-park Mail thieves hit Sierra Vista mobile home park]'', KOLD News, 10 January 2012, retrieved 23 January 2012</ref><ref name="ROS">Roseville Patch Staff, ''[http://roseville-ca.patch.com/articles/crime-watch-gas-siphoning-vandalized-cars-mailboxes Crime Watch: Gas Siphoning, Vandalized Cars, Mailboxes]'', The Roseville Patch, retrieved 23 January 2012</ref><ref name="CITY">''[http://www.cityofvancouver.us/nhoodtools.asp?tool=4&itemID=29219 Mailbox Break-in and Theft of Mail]'', City of Vancouver, Washington, retrieved 23 January 2012 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131142544/http://www.cityofvancouver.us/nhoodtools.asp?tool=4&itemID=29219 |date=January 31, 2011 }}</ref><ref>Auslander, Jason, ''Police Charge Man in String of Mailbox Break-ins'', The Santa Fe New Mexican, 30 July 2009</ref><ref name="HAM">Hamer, Roger, and Smollen, Gary, ''[http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/Cluster_Crime_in_Council_Bluffs_131288189.html Cluster Crime In Council Bluffs]'', Channel 6 News, 6 October 2011, retrieved 23 January 2012</ref><ref name="ROSE">Rosenberg, Katherine, ''Thieves steal mail from 130 Phelan households and 18 cluster mailboxes'', Victorville Daily Press, 4 January 2006</ref><ref>Postal Employee Network, ''[http://www.postalemployeenetwork.com/images/ndcbu-damaged.jpg CBU Theft Photo, Phelan, CA]'', 4 January 2006, retrieved 23 January 2012</ref><ref>''Cluster Mailbox Burglary Prompts Investigation'', The Orlando Sentinel, 29 May 2004</ref> Even when located in a high-traffic location or inside a gated community, the NDCBU is a tempting target for thieves attracted by the possibility of recovering checks, cash, identifying information, or other valuables from multiple victims.<ref name="WIL"/><ref name="ENT"/><ref name="LIS"/><ref name="CITY"/><ref name="HAM"/><ref name="ROSE"/><ref>City of Ventura, California, ''[http://www.cityofventura.net/pd/crime/prevention/burglary Home & Neighborhood Safety: Cluster Mailboxes] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202214252/http://www.cityofventura.net/pd/crime/prevention/burglary |date=2012-02-02 }}'', retrieved 23 January 2012: "Cluster mailboxes are those that house mail receptacles for several residences...They make particularly attractive targets for thieves, as once the back of the box is breached, all of the individual sections become accessible and mail from many households can be taken in a very short period of time."</ref><ref>Arata Jr., Michael J., ''Identity Theft For Dummies'', Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing Inc., {{ISBN|978-0-470-56521-6}} (2010), pp. 10-11</ref> A 2008 [[RAND Corporation]] study, citing USPS statistics collected between 2004 and 2007, found that NDCBU thefts constituted 52.7% of all urban neighborhood mail thefts and 76.6% of all rural neighborhood mail thefts from locations with more than one mailbox, with higher-income ZIP code zones having a substantially higher number of thefts than low-income ZIP code zones.<ref>Davis, Lois M., et al., ''The Role of the United States Postal Service in Public Safety and Security: Implications of Proposed Relaxation of the Mailbox Monopoly'', Washington, D.C.: United States Postal Service/[[RAND Corporation]], {{ISBN|978-0-8330-4615-4}} (2008)</ref>