Say “No” to Junk Mail
Junk mail is more than just a nuisance – it’s a wasteful practice that is affecting the planet. All that junk mail comes from trees, one of our most precious resources and what keeps planet “breathing.” The average adult receives 41 pounds of junk mail each year. In some communities, telephone books are distributed to every household, whether the people in that household want one or not. Thankfully, there are things you can do to stop the waste and say no to junk mail.
1. Think before you give out information
You receive junk mail because someone, somewhere has sold or given your name and address to a marketing company or other business. When you have to give out personal information and have it entered into a database (such as when you apply for a library card, credit card, or check into the hospital), request that the organization does not share your personal information with anyone.
Also in this category of informational caution are product registration cards, sweepstakes, raffles, and contests.
2. Don’t let them follow you
If you move, don’t fill out a change of address form at the post office. Just contact your friends, colleagues, and respectable businesses personally and let them know of your move. Otherwise, the junk mail will start showing up at your new residence shortly.
3. Have your information removed from mailing lists
You can contact the major marketers (such as the Direct Marketing Association) yourself, or save time and have someone else do the footwork for you. An organization that specializes in such help is 41pounds.org (the name of the site is a reference to the number of pounds each adult in America receives in junk mail each year). For $41, or a little over $8 a year, 41pounds.org will remove your name from mailing lists for five years.
4. The phone book
If you don’t want to receive a phone book anymore – or at least not every year – you can contact your local yellow pages distributor and/or phone company and tell them that. You can also go to ypassociation.org to make adjustments to your yellow pages delivery schedule, or cancel it altogether.
These are just some tips to help keep the junk mail in your life to a minimum. The real key is to be on the alert, and make sure you don’t give out information on the phone, in person, online, or on paper that could be used to contact you against your will. If you do have to give out such information, make sure you include the caveat that it is not to be shared. Hopefully, you can stop junk mail before it starts; but if it’s already a problem, it can be stopped.
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