Stopping Junk Mail

Are you as tired as we are of seeing our mailboxes overflowing with nothing but useless and unwanted junk?  Credit card offers, catalogs, advertisements, the endless stream of junk mail that fills our mailboxes on daily basis is not only ridiculous, but it is also slowly depleting our natural resources.  From the trees it takes to produce it, to the resources it consumes to print it, and the fuel it takes to deliver it, slowly but surely irreversible damage is being done to our planet.

And why is it that even when you jump through the hoops required to stop it, it still keeps coming?  Did you know that the average American receives 41 pounds of junk mail each year (41pounds.org)!  And according to the EPA, over 50% of the junk mail we receive is ultimately discarded rather than recycled. What? How hard is it to drop it into the recycling bin instead of the trash can?

Here are some more mind blowing statistics provided by 41pounds.org, an organization dedicated to reducing the amount of junk mail landing in our mailboxes every day.

• To produce and process 4 million tons of junk mail a year, 100 million trees are destroyed (41pounds.org)
• 28 billion gallons of water are wasted (41pounds.org)
• Global warming gases equivalent to 9 million cars are produced (41pounds.org)
• $320 million tax dollars are spent to dispose of junk mail each year (41pounds.org)
• 40% of the solid mass that makes up our landfills is paper and paperboard waste (41pounds.org)

Furthermore, ForestEthics, a nonprofit organization aimed at protecting forests, published a report that compared the 100 million trees destroyed each year for junk mail to clear-cutting all of the Rocky Mountain National Park every 4 months!  Don’t we have a moral responsibility to do everything we can stop the senseless waste of our precious natural resources?

In order to save the planet we all have to contribute.  We have discussed reuse and recycling, here is a good way to reduce the amount of waste we produce in the first place. Below are several resources you can utilize to significantly reduce the amount of junk mail you receive.  The unfortunate part is that it is impossible to stop it altogether.  No matter what method you choose there are mass mailers that will still have your name and send you things and most of the services only last for a specified amount of time; you have to continually enroll in order to keep the junk from coming.

• Optoutpresreen.com
  • Opt out for 5 years or permanently
  • This will opt you out of credit offers
• dmachoice.org
  • Stops most new direct mail solicitations
  • Can request to stop any type of mail solicitation or even certain companies
  • Lasts for 3 years
• catalogchoice.org
  • you sign up for this free service
  • login to your account and report the junk mail you are receiving
  • they take it from there
• directmail.com National Do Not Mail List

Do your part and opt out of junk mail today!  And please recycle those you do receive!

Not recycling at work?  Contact us to learn more about how Reduction In Motion is helping organizations achieve their sustainability goals.  We specialize in waste reduction and waste flow strategies for companies of all sizes.  Focused on education and driven by on-site facilitation, our processes have helped our clients achieve award-winning programs.  Don’t forget to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.