Image: Posti

Starting in May, Finnish residents will no longer receive garden variety mail services, as the postal delivery company Posti moves to introduce a new grass cutting service.

In a statement released Thursday, Posti said that customers will be able to order the service from next week, although postal workers won’t begin tending lawns until May.

The lawn maintenance service will be available with mail delivery on Tuesdays. The company explained the choice of service time by noting that mail volumes on Tuesday are typically lower than on other days. Customers will be able to order the weekly half-hour trim for a monthly fee of 65 euros.

Posti: Idea came from the ground up

The idea for the grassroots service came from Posti mail carriers, according to director Anu Punola. She pointed out that Posti is in a period of transition caused by falling mail volumes. The firm also field-tested the idea on consumers.

"We have genuinely tried to find services that would make people’s lives easier," she added.

Punola noted that mail carriers can volunteer to tend customers’ lawns and added that supervisors have determined which employees are willing to pitch in.

"We have been able to find volunteers," Punola commented and said other services are in the works. She would not reveal what the company has up its sleeve, but said the ideas must be competitive.

Consumers will be able to purchase the new service for one-month periods and mail carriers will actually begin tackling lawns from May 17. The service will close at the end of August.

Postal workers won’t carry lawnmowers on the job, so customers must have one on hand. In the event of rain, the service will be postponed.