How to Stop Junk Mail: Eight Things You Can Do Today

Junk mail is more than a nuisance. It's harmful to thepublishing companies and catalog companies that
environment.compile the names and addresses of those of us who
Each of us gets 40 pounds of junk mail every year.like to order from mail order catalogs. Then they share
The number of trees required to produce that muchthe information with other companies in the alliance.
mail for all of us? 100 million.You can opt out of this alliance by sending an email to
The Center for a New American Dream says that'sor a letter to Abacus, Inc. PO Box 1478, Broomfield,
like deforesting Rocky Mountain National Park 3 timesCO 80038
each year - and that creating and then getting rid of allSome catalog companies don't check these opt-out
that junk mail takes more energy than 3 million cars.programs. In this case, and for any company that
The Environmental Protection Agency reports that, incontinues to send you direct mail advertising, find the
2005, almost 6 million tons of direct mail and catalogscustomer service number or address and ask to be
went into the garbage. That's enough to fill nearlyremoved from the list. You can also request that they
500,000 garbage trucks. Only 22 percent of the stuffnot share your information with other advertisers.
is recycled.4. Contact individual senders. The three steps detailed
These huge environmental costs come with littleabove should dramatically reduce the amount of junk
reward. Americans toss 44 percent of the mail withoutmail you receive. For the rest of it, your best bet is to
even opening it, and we respond to just 2 percent it.contact the senders individually. These companies are
You may be surprised to find how easy it is torequired to allow you to opt out of their mailings. It may
dramatically reduce the amount of junk mail youtake some time to contact everyone who is sending
receive. Here's what you can do today:you junk mail, but it is worth it for you and the
1. Register with the Direct Marketing Association'senvironment. Note that if a piece of unsolicited mail is
Opt-Out Program. The Direct Marketing Associationsent First Class, you can send it back. Mark off your
(DMA) has a Mail Preference Service, which is theinformation and write "Refused-Return to Sender."
closest thing to a Do Not Mail list that the country has5. Consider your phone listing. It's helpful to get an
at the moment. DMA members are required to useunlisted telephone number because some marketers
this opt-out program. Non-members are grantedobtain your name and address from phone listings. If
access to the list and encouraged, but not required, toyou don't want to be unlisted, you can ask the phone
use it.company to not list your address with your name.
Registration works only for home addresses (notMost will do this at no charge.
business addresses) and will stop only national mailings.6. Protect your personal information. Give your
Still, the DMA says this will stop as much as 75personal information only to trusted companies with
percent of the national direct mail pieces you receive.the specific request that they not share it or sell it. It
The fastest way to get on this list is to fill out the onlinemay help to request a privacy designation with your
form at DMAConsumers.org. The form asks for yourmortgage company, cable company, bank, etcetera, as
credit card number because you will be charged a $1well as any magazines you subscribe to and any clubs
processing fee.or groups you belong to (including the loyalty program
You can also request activation of the preferenceat the supermarket.) Let them know in writing that you
service via mail. Simply send your full name anddon't want your personal information shared.
address, along with a $1 check or money order,7. Think twice before sending in the product registration
payable to DMA (no cash), to: Mail Preference Service,cards. Product registration cards and customer survey
P.O. Box 282, Carmel, NY 10512cards often put you on a mailing list, as well. If you
You will need to allow about 90 days for thesend in the card (which you may want to do so that
unwanted mail to begin to decrease (a little longer ifyou will be notified in case of a recall, for example)
you mail in the form instead of filling it out online.)include only the most essential information (generally,
This should cover you for 5 years, at which point youyour name and address, date of purchase and the
will need to register again.serial number of product.) And include a request that
2. Stop the credit card offers. Visit or callyour personal information not be shared.
1-888-5OptOut (1-888-567-8688). The major credit8. Use caution when entering sweepstakes and
bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and Transunion) maintaincontests. Submit your name and address for
this free service, which allows you to opt out of offerssweepstakes only if there is an option for opting out of
for credit or insurance. The whole process takes lessthe resulting mailing list.
than one minute. You can opt out via the website for aIt probably isn't possible to stop all the junk mail, so for
duration of five years. If you wish to opt outthose bits of mail that seep through, make sure to
permanently, you need to do it by mail. The websiterecycle it. And know that you did what you could to
has instructions for doing that, as well.give Mother Earth a little break.
3. Reduce the catalogs. There is an alliance of