 |
Stop the Junk Mail! |
5 Comments |
| By Chris Welch in Green Living | October 9, 2007 | ||
This weekend I received some seriously unwanted volumes of junk-mail. I found myself completely disgusted by the volume and content of what ended up on my desk. I never once asked for any of it to come to my house. These marketers have become so adept at their craft that it is almost impossible to distinguish real communication from the junk sometimes. So taking time to go through the mail just to find there is absolutely nothing of any intrinsic value forced me for a way to get rid of this nuisance.
In my research I came across a few interesting facts regarding junk-mail:
More than 4 million tons (62 billion pieces) of junk mail is produced yearly.
· 42% of timber harvested nationwide ends up as pulpwood for paper.
· 40% of Municipal Solid Waste is paper and paperboard.
· Americans spend over $275 million to dispose of junk mail annually.
· Individually, an average of 41 pounds of junk mail are sent to every adult each year, 44% of which goes to a landfill unopened.
These facts repeated all over the web, tell the same story… lots of waste. There are lots of resources out there to help you get a handle on this. One site i found in particular was The Center for Development of Recycling (CDR) is a non-profit, university-based recycling resource for Santa Clara County, California. Check out their Junk Mail Reduction Kit Page. They offer addresses, websites and resources to tackle the task of removing your name from the multiple databases.
There are a few websites that will do all the heavy lifting for you. They submit your name to the major databases and remove your name from catalog lists. Each of them claim drastic reduction (80-95%) and offer different methods of attack. Some will donate a portion of the profits to various environmental organizations.
Here are a few:
http://41pounds.org/ – $41 for 5 years
http://www.stopthejunkmail.com – $19.95
http://www.usjunkmail.com – $2.95/month
Do your part to get rid of unwanted junk-mail, stop the waste and clean up your mailbox. There are plenty of reasons to make every effort to get a handle on this, A while back we had mail stolen and someone tried to get a credit card in my name. Stopping junk mail is much more than reducing volumes in the waste stream.
If any of you have any experience with a service that handles junk mail give us a heads up about your experience in the comments.
Update: Aaron had a post a while back about junk mail, check it out.
Loading ...
Nick said,
There is a great thread on this board about charging a $50 handling fee to any company that sends you junk mail. Send them a warning letter first and next time a bill.
Other than that a nice big sign usually works for unaddressed mail… I’ve always liked;
“THIS MAILBOX BITES THE HAND THAT FEEDS IT JUNK MAIL”
chris said,
What can we do about junk mail/ coupon books from local super markets that is sent to everyone in the neighborhood?
Chris said,
for removal from the ValPack local coupons:
Val-Pak
Send written request, full name, address, and signature to:
Val-Pak Coupons
8605 Largo Lakes Dr.
Largo, FL 33773
To be removed on line go to http://www.coxtarget.com/mailsuppression/s/DisplayMailSuppressionForm
Nick said,
In the UK people can request that names and addresses are removed from the databases used by the direct mail industry. They just have to fill out a quick form on the Mailing Preference Service website. The problem is most people complain about junk mail but don’t actually realise there are steps they can take to reduce a good percentage of it.
Linda Street said,
No longer wish to be on your mailing list would like to opt-out this is for Donald and or Linda Street 1464 Spencer Ferndale, Mi. 48220