If you find your mailbox jammed with catalogs, flyers and advertisements, you’re not alone. Over 114 billion pieces of junk mail are delivered each year by the US Post Office. Plus, Americans collectively pay about $370,000,000 to get rid of the portion that doesn’t get recycled.
Good Green Habits for Junk Mail
Individuals and business can take these FREE eco-friendly steps to prevent junk mail from clogging their mailboxes:
- Call advertisers directly to ask for removal from their marketing list.
- Check the “opt out” box when completing registration forms, filling out warranty cards, ordering products, donating money and when signing up for services (including health care and car insurance), contests, group memberships, and anything else that might put you on a promotional list.
- Write “do not sell this name” at the bottom of bank checks when paying for donations, class and conference registrations, magazines and other types of payments that could generate junk mail.
- Request these companies remove your name from their lists:
Catalogs—Catalogchoice.org
Credit Card & Insurance Offers—Optoutprescreen.com
Direct Mail—DMAchoice.org
Emloyee Mailing Lists: Ecological Mail Coalition
Sweepstakes—Publishers Clearing House (800) 645-9242
Shopping Flyers—Valpak
ShopWise* and Missing Children Ads—ADVO
Eco Fact: Good Green Habit staff took the above steps and now do NOT receive any junk mail. These steps are free, easy and the payoff is huge.
Junk mail is an obvious target if we want to eliminate waste and reduce carbon emissions. This is a product most people throw out without even reading. It must be banned and leaders at Copenhagen should consider adding this to their international agreements.
http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2009/11/junk-mail-must-go.html