Stopping the junk mail tree killers--repost

As you know, I'm on vacation this week and am putting up old posts and other people's wise words. This is one of my own, from February, that I thought might be helpful to new visitors to No Impact Man. Note that since I wrote this post and tried the methods within, I find I'm still getting junk mail. So I've added one more tool (see point number 5 below).

It’s two months since I began the no impact man stage concerned with stopping trash, but my recycling bin is still filling up with paper I never bought, never used, and never wanted. The junk mail pours in.

Five years ago, I bought my step-mother Beth some flower bulbs. The company has sent me two catalogs a year ever since. The product pushers discovered that Isabella was born but not that she has since aged two years, so we get piles of completely useless baby wear catalogs.

Do I ever look at these bundles of the coagulated flesh of dead trees? Uh, no. Do you?

According to the Native Forest Network guide to stopping junk mail, 100 million trees are ground up each year to make junk mail. Um, didn’t somebody mention that tearing down trees is contributing to global warming?

All in the interests of our economy—right?—except that 44 percent of junk mail gets trashed without ever being opened. Together with other types of paper and paperboard waste, the junk mail adds up to 40% of the solid waste in our landfills.

So here’s what I’m doing to stop the tree killers and keep their trash out of my bin:

1. All the junk mail, including that with plastic windows in the envelopes, goes in the recycling bin. For a guide to recycling in your community, go here.

2. I got my name off the credit card and insurance offer lists by going to the credit bureaus’ centralized service for opting out.

3. I spent a dollar—swear to God, that’s the price—to sign onto the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service, which reportedly will reduce my junk mail by 75%.

4. I began calling the 800 number on the catalogs and asking them to take me off their lists

5. Since I first wrote this post in February, my junk mail has reduced but not minimized. I'm now going to try a paid service called Green Dimes, which promises to get rid of junk mail for $36 a year (one green dime a day). If Green Dimes does what it claims, parting with the cash means you don't have to take all the steps above (except recycling, of course!), because Green Dimes does it for you.

Meanwhile, a couple of websites tell you how to make your own recycled paper from junk mail, but well, I’m too busy baking bread from local wheat and washing Isabella’s locally-grown, organic cotton diapers. God save me, please, from myself and this crazy project.

As you know, I'm on vacation this week and am putting up old posts and other people's wise words. This is one of my own, from February, that I thought might be helpful to new visitors to No Impact Man. Note that since I wrote this post and tried the methods within, I find I'm still getting junk mail. So I've added one more tool (see point number 5 below).

It’s two months since I began the no impact man stage concerned with stopping trash, but my recycling bin is still filling up with paper I never bought, never used, and never wanted. The junk mail pours in.

Five years ago, I bought my step-mother Beth some flower bulbs. The company has sent me two catalogs a year ever since. The product pushers discovered that Isabella was born but not that she has since aged two years, so we get piles of completely useless baby wear catalogs.

Do I ever look at these bundles of the coagulated flesh of dead trees? Uh, no. Do you?

According to the Native Forest Network guide to stopping junk mail, 100 million trees are ground up each year to make junk mail. Um, didn’t somebody mention that tearing down trees is contributing to global warming?

All in the interests of our economy—right?—except that 44 percent of junk mail gets trashed without ever being opened. Together with other types of paper and paperboard waste, the junk mail adds up to 40% of the solid waste in our landfills.

So here’s what I’m doing to stop the tree killers and keep their trash out of my bin:

1. All the junk mail, including that with plastic windows in the envelopes, goes in the recycling bin. For a guide to recycling in your community, go here.

2. I got my name off the credit card and insurance offer lists by going to the credit bureaus’ centralized service for opting out.

3. I spent a dollar—swear to God, that’s the price—to sign onto the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service, which reportedly will reduce my junk mail by 75%.

4. I began calling the 800 number on the catalogs and asking them to take me off their lists

5. Since I first wrote this post in February, my junk mail has reduced but not minimized. I'm now going to try a paid service called Green Dimes, which promises to get rid of junk mail for $36 a year (one green dime a day). If Green Dimes does what it claims, parting with the cash means you don't have to take all the steps above (except recycling, of course!), because Green Dimes does it for you.

Meanwhile, a couple of websites tell you how to make your own recycled paper from junk mail, but well, I’m too busy baking bread from local wheat and washing Isabella’s locally-grown, organic cotton diapers. God save me, please, from myself and this crazy project.

Comments

[Gwyn]

And you could always shame some junk mailers on your blog!

[Rebecca]

I've done all that, except for the Green Dimes thing, and I still get some junk mail, but not much. It seems to be going down even more since I started following a tip a friend gave me -when someone sends me an offer I don't want, I take all their literature, including the original envelope, put it all into the postage paid envelope they include, and send it all back to them. Invariably, I never hear from them again!
-Rebecca

[chile]

While I have used Rebecca's method, I usually try these two tactics first:
Mark across your name/address and write "Please remove me from mailing list." Return this in the postage-paid return envelope. If it's a credit card offer, make sure it is VERY clear that you are not accepting the offer!
If the company has a 1-800 number in the literature, call them to ask to be removed from mailing list.

[abby]

Let me add a number 6 to your list:

When you call to remove your name from a mailing list, ask where they got your information. Many junk mail senders buy lists of mailing addresses, so you have to get to the source. Also, when you make donations to non-profit or political organizations, make a note asking them to not share your address with anyone else.

Ever since I donated to a few new non-profits (most of them environmental organization), my junk mail has doubled with other organizations sending materials asking for money! I have more address lables that I'll use in the rest of my adult life.

[Lisanne]

The junk mail makes me sick too! I started making art out of it. The supplies are free and endless(unfortunately), I have signed up for all the lists and I still get stuff...You can see some photos if you click on my name (sorry for the quality)
Love your blog and what you are doing!

[Blondeemum]

Morning! Thanks for the tips...we have been getting an inordinate amount of junk mail and phone solicitations lately...I keep telling all of them to take me off their list....I like the idea of sending their mail back in their own envelope! ;-) Way to go! ~Christine

[Kendra]

Hey- thanks for mentioning GreenDimes! We really appreciate your taking the time to tell others about our service. Make sure you check out the site from time to time and see what new ideas we are working on to help make the world a better place.
Thanks again for the post-
Kendra
www.greendimes.com

[Belinda Smith]

Colin, I sent your latest post on to about 15 friends. 3 already wrote back thanking me for the inf - hopefully it works!

To Lisanne: I like your artwork made from the junkmail!

[Karstan]

I LOVE the fact that you have to PAY the marketing folks a dollar to opt out of their marketing. Ingenious! They make money off of you even when they're not selling you crap!

[dee]

I heart Greendimes, it has helped tree-mendously. Sorry, I had to do that. But seriously, no other thing I have done has made that much junk mail disappear, and in a pretty decent amount of time too. Its also great that you mentioned the Compact, the more people who visit the site, hopefully the less waste in landfills and crazy unneeded consumerism, yay!

[jenn]

I work for a non-profit environmental organization (that NEVER buys or exchanges mailing lists) and we also have a free junk mail removal service at www.newdream.org/junkmail. To use it, you enter your name and address and it generates about 12 different personalized forms that you can send in to a variety of direct mailers to have your name removed from lists. This information is kept confidential and you are not added to any lists by using the service. (Note that you need to be able to print out several sheets of paper, provide envelopes, and pay the postage to do this, but there is no other cost. Note also that one form requires a social security number--if you are uncomfortable filling that in, you can just skip it and not mail that form.)

On another note, all that mail is annoying but at least I have not had to buy envelopes in years. Any unused envelopes from junk mail can be turned inside-out, taped together and reused. (Some folks just put a label over the address to reuse it, but turning them inside out is best to prevent the post office from reading the bar codes direct mailers put on the envelopes and sending it back to the company.)

[Zabet]

THANK YOU for the links to the centralized opt-out site! My husband and I immediately opted out and we look forward to seeing a dent in the amount of junk mail we get. (We then also requested our yearly free credit reports... Gods bless the Internets.)

I sell stickers online and have been keeping the return envelopes from credit card offers to use for shipping. I just put a blank label over the preprinted address, take a Sharpie to the upc-code-like line, and stick a stamp on it. So far, no problems, but I have a zillion envelopes saved, so I won't miss getting any more for a while!

[Robin]

One aspect of junk mail that is really bothering me right now is all the advertising that is put in our mailbox. I don't think it's really "mail" - it's not addressed to us. It's just flyers from grocery stores I never go to, coupons for services or products I never use, etc. It's all printed on thin slippery paper - I always end up feeling worried that a piece of real mail has slipped inside the advertising.

Any ideas about how to reduce this volume of wasted paper and energy?

Thanks for all the thoughtful posts...

[sat jiwan]

Jenn, You forgot to mention that New American Dream is also working on a campaign to get a "Do Not Junk" list (like the Do Not Call list) so there's one place to register to prevent junk mail. It would be free for consumers, paid for by marketers and marketers would HAVE to abide by it (instead of the voluntary programs they have now).

There were 14 bills introduced in states this year, but you can add your voice and learn more at: http://www.newdream.org/junkmail/

Robin,
Some of the "current resident" or "unaddressed" mail can be stopped by contacting Advo/Shopwise who include the ads with their "have you seen us?" cards or other less than easy steps by contacting the mailers. (Note: see above for efforts to make the national Do Not Junk list a reality.)

[Tim]

"I've done all that, except for the Green Dimes thing, and I still get some junk mail, but not much. It seems to be going down even more since I started following a tip a friend gave me -when someone sends me an offer I don't want, I take all their literature, including the original envelope, put it all into the postage paid envelope they include, and send it all back to them. Invariably, I never hear from them again!"

I've tried doing this with Discover but they haven't stopped. I've sent back ten envelopes so far and no luck. After reading this post I just called them to ask if I can be removed from their list. The person I talked to complied with my request. She even suggested I go to the opt-out site, which I did about six months ago. After the phone call, I have hope that I stop getting their insidious credit card applications!

[Tim]

Anyone have advise for getting off the local advertisement list, like the advertisements for pizza and tires, that sometimes come in plastic wrap?

I paid the one dollar to the DMA (#3 on Colin's list) but I still get them.