So it's not like states could but them up and turn them into absentee ballot drop boxes.

From the link below:

Do not sell, loan, or donate collection boxes!

Collection boxes must be disposed of in accordance with Handbook AS-701, Material Management. Refer to Chapter 6, Asset Recovery: Redistribution, Recycling, and Disposal. Compliance with this policy will be rigorously enforced. Any release of a collection box to an unauthorized party will be referred for investigation.

Collection boxes, including post type, street collection, and relay storage boxes, must not be sold to the public. They must be destroyed by the owning Postal Service™ entity and sold as scrap. Collection boxes designated for sale as scrap must be recycled. Contact a USPS® environmental specialist for information concerning federal, state, and local scrap metal recy­cling requirements.

USPS receives requests from time to time from various sources to purchase, donate, or loan out surplus collection boxes. Collection boxes, including post type, street collection, and relay storage boxes, are considered postal intellectual property and must not be loaned to organizations, agencies, or a public body except as provided in section 646.82 in Handbook AS-701. The Postal Service defines a public body as any state, territory, or possession of the United States, any political subdi­vision thereof, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any American Indian tribe. All requests for col­lection box loans must be approved by the manager, Public Affairs, Corporate Communications.

A loan of a collection box for use in a motion picture, on broadcast or cable television, and/or in advertising agencies is executed under a licensing agreement for a fee or no fee. Go to http://www.usps.com/rightsandpermissions/ for an overview of the rights and permissions program and more detailed information. Rights and Permissions, Chief Counsel, Corporate Law, must maintain a copy of the license agreement when a collection box is licensed by a third party for use in the enter­tainment industry or for any other purposes.

With approval from the manager, Public Affairs, Corporate Communications, surplus collection boxes may be loaned to a federal agency, such as a museum, for exhibit purposes only. There is no requirement to change the color or remove the indicia, although the lock must be removed, and an audit trail established and maintained by the installation head until the item is returned. A written license agreement must also be executed to keep the use of the collection box under Postal Ser­vice control. The Postal Service must use PS Form 1590, Supplies and Equipment Receipt, signed by both parties, along with a signed license agreement acknowledging the Postal Service rights to monitor all collection box loans.

— Asset Management, Supply Management, 4-22-10

[Post edited by Hoo TV at 08/14/2020 11:30AM]