Ditch the clutter: Stop junk mail

greenlagirl — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:22:09 -0500

Stopping junk mail's easy -- theoretically -- since all you need to do is say no. But because you have to say no to so many different companies -- and may want to preserve one or two coupon mailers you use -- de-cluttering your mail box can get difficult pretty fast. This perhaps explains why so many people still get -- and complain about -- the amount of junk mail they get.

But de-junk-mailing doesn't have to be so hard! Just follow these steps to declare junk mail independence this July 4 -- and to save a whole lot of paper ( read: trees) while you're at it. I'll start with the free services -- a bit more time consuming, but easier to customize for your individual needs -- then go on to the paid ones that do the hard work for you.

1. Bye bye credit card offers. These things have gotten a lot of people into financial holes lately -- so stop the debt catastrophes from ever tempting you by opting out of credit card offers. You can opt out for 5 years or forever -- though if you change your mind, all you have to do is stop by the site again to opt in.

2. Get off the Direct Marketing Association's list -- for $1 if you mail in the form (see right sidebar). There also appears to be an online option that requires registration, but I don't recommend this as it's oddly complicated. Note that this step won't stop the Val-Pak or ShopWise or any of the other local coupon packets -- just the totally random junk mail that seemed to come outta nowhere. A few months after sending in the form, you'll start to see a junk mail decrease.

3. Stop the catalogs. Sign up for the FREE Catalog Choice, which'll let you halt catalogs you don't want very easily AND monitor to make sure they actually are keeping you off their lists. You can also contact the catalog companies individually via their customer service lines -- but of course that'll take more time.

4. Ditch the local coupon lists -- Val-Pak, ShopWise, Pennysaver (call 800.422.4116), Local Community Values (call 626.472.5377), and Money Mailer. Annoyingly, you'll need to contact each of them separately -- but this could be good news for people who want to keep getting one of these but not the rest.

5. Junk the individual stuff. Still getting other types of junk mail? Call the customer service lines, then wait to get hold of an actual person who can take your name off the lists.

And now for the paid services! If you really want off the lists but the above seems way too time consuming for you, these companies can help -- for a small fee:

>> 41pounds.org. This company promises to reduce your junk mail by 80-95%! $41 covers you for five years, with $15 of that money going to a nonprofit of your choice. The fee covers you even if you move, as long as it's within four years of subscribing.

>> GreenDimes. This company promises a 90% reduction in your junk mail. $20 covers you for a year -- even if you move -- and will get 5 trees planted for you on your behalf.

Got all that done? Then pat yourself on your back because you've really shrunk your carbon footprint today. Junk mail’s un-eco effect’s the equivalent of more than nine million cars (PDF) or the emissions generated by heating nearly 13 million homes for the winter, according to a study by ForestEthics.

Don't see why you should have to do all this work to stop junk mail you never asked for in the first place? Then sign ForestEthics’ Do Not Mail Petition, which is pushing lawmakers to create a national Do Not Mail list, similar to the existing Do Not Call list. So far, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors want a Do Not Mail Registry and passed a resolution calling on California to create one -- but the resolution's non-binding and has no actual power to help people make the junk mail stop.

Unfortunately, this fight will probably go on for a while, as the United States Postal Service has launched a Mail Moves America campaign. USPS allies include some environmental groups, which themselves send unsolicited letters (usually asking for money) to mass mailing lists. So what can you do besides sign a petition and getting rid of your own junkmail? Make it a point never to respond to mailed requests for donations -- and let the organizations you donate to know that their unsolicited junk mail has you rethinking your generosity.
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BlogHer Contributing Editor Siel likes a tidy mailbox. She blogs at greenLAgirl.com.

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Ditch the clutter: Stop junk mail