Reducing Junk Mail
From Green Wiki
There are several ways you can cut down the amount of junk mail (75-95%) you receive. Americans receive about 560 pieces of junk mail every year -- 4.5 million tons! 44% of junk mail is thrown in the trash unopened. This consumes more energy than 2.8 million cars, uses 28 billion gallons of water, and uses 100,000,000 trees.
- OptOutPrescreen.com - Used by the consumer credit card reporting industry to accept and process requests from consumers to opt in or out of offers for credit or insurance. You can use this website to opt out of receiving offers for five years or permananently. To opt out by phone, call 1-888-5-OPTOUT.
- Green Dimes - Has both free and paid services to stop junk mail. GreenDimes plants trees on your behalf if you sign up for a paid service, which offers more protection than the free service.
- DirectMail.com - Free service to remove your name from commercial mailing lists
- Ecological - Mail Coalition - Helps businesses stop receiving catalogs, magazines, and bulk mail addressed to former employees.
- Direct Marketing Association - Listing your name and preference to stop receiving junk mail will stop about 75% of all national mailings from coming to your house. Send a postcard with your name, address and signature to: Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 643, Carmel, NY 10512 or download the online form at
http://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglistdave.
- Contact sweepstakes companies directly and have them remove your name and address from their lists:
- Publishers Clearinghouse, 101 Channel Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050 Phone: (800) 645-9242
- Readers Digest, Readers Digest Road, Pleasantville, NY 10570 Phone: (800) 234-9000
- American Family Publishers, PO Box 62000, Tampa, FL 33662 Phone: (800) 237-2400
- Catalog Choice - Opt out of receiving catalogs on a merchant-by-merchant basis.
- 41pounds - Removes your name and everyone in your household from numerous mailing lists and direct mail companies for five years for a cost of $41. You can also update your address during this time if you move. 1/3 of the signup cost is donated to one of the following organizations of your choice: Trees for the Future, American Forests, Friends of the Urban Forest, WildWest Institute, Center for the New American Dream, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
