How To Handle Junk Mail

We all get junk mail. One purchase from a catalog or online company, and suddenly you’re receiving catalogs from places you’ve never heard of. Or you give money to one organization and suddenly your mailbox is filled with requests from other organizations. And let’s not even start on the credit card offers…

Looking at how much junk mail took up in my recycling box, and figuring out how much gas and paper must be wasted to produce something that didn’t even make it into my house, I decided to see what I could do to limit junk mail.

The Direct Marketer’s Association

The Direct Marketer’s Association has been handling mailing lists for many years. They offer many ways to get off lists. It used to be, a few years ago, that your request to the DMA was done through the mail. Now they offer an online version, which is free, in addition to the mail, which now costs $1.00.

When I first signed up with the DMA, our junk mail was cut by 70% within six weeks. However, it did not prevent catalogs from coming from places where we had bought, or their “sister” businesses. JC Penney, which I had purchased drapes from in 2002, and whom I haven’t shopped from since, sends an average of one catalog or flyer per week.

Catalog Choice

I recently was introduced to Catalog Choice. This project, sponsored by an environmental organization, allows you to pick and choose what catalogs you will receive for free. You tell them what catalogs you get but don’t want, and they take care of the rest.

New American Dream

The Center for the New American dream has a complete list of suggestions on how to eliminate junk mail. Included are references to 41 Pounds (the amount of junk mail the average person receives in one year), which is a paid service that will stop junk mail for 5 years for a fee $41.00. Some of that money gets donated back to environmental causes.

If you are tired of junk mail, check out the services above. You can do it yourself, or have someone do it for you; but you will get less junk and help out the environment at the same time!

Photo by Kenn Christ