Stopping Junk Mail
Stopping junk mail is an excellent example of something people can't wait to do to reduce their personal (both fossil and mental) energy consumption. It's a win-win-win (except perhaps for the post office, but they need to get with the greener times in any case). There are even companies you can pay (e.g. $15 as a one-time membership fee?) to get your name off lists as you report mailings to them.
Useful Junk Mail Resources
- http://www.obviously.com/junkmail/ is a comprehensive overview including weekly circulars
- http://www.recyclestuff.org/JunkMail.asp (now http://www.stopjunkmail.org/resident2.htm ?) has some other (newer?) contact info for the same plus contact info for Pennysaver/Potpourri circulars (information which is confirmed at http://www.pennysaverusa.com/contactus/ ).
- http://www.globalstewards.org/junkmail.htm has some additional updates including a direct link to the shopwise/ADVO unsubscribe page.
- Santa Clara County's Junk Mail Reduction Guide and Kit is probably similar to a step by step resource in your local community.
- http://ecofuture.org/jnkmail.html has lots of ideas and goes as far as removing illegal signs in your neighborhood!
Stuff Soren has done
- https://www.optoutprescreen.com/ and/or 1-800-5OPTOUT has proven effective against credit card offers
- calling the bank(s) and telling them not to share any of your info for any reason definitely reduces junk mail
- https://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing costs $1 but seems to be effective
- http://lnxwebe1.advo.com/consumersupport.html to get rid of one circular for five years (Nov 2007) seems to have worked!
- http://pennysaverusa.com/feedback.aspx?return=/index.aspx requesting that my address be removed got me an email saying that I'd been removed. http://pennysaverusa.com/contactus/ does list the "Removal from Mailing List" address in Brea, CA.
Can junk mail by stopped?
Yes. A few years ago (2002?), I (Soren) noticed a message about 1-800-5OPTOUT on the back of a credit card offer. I figured I'd try it, leaving my name and address on an answering system. To my surprise, the credit card offers disappeared within a month. After buying a house, I began getting new types of junk mail. I called my lender and asked them to stop each of the five types of advertising they thought I wouldn't mind getting. That helped, but competing lenders thought paper mail might tempt me. After searching online and finding little about mortgage mail, I turned to Consumer Reports which recommended registering with the Direct Marketing Association. It cost a dollar, but the OPT-OUT stuff had worked once I registered my new address offers so I went for the DMA. Since then (early 2007), there have been days where I have received only real mail! Only two simple actions eliminated at least half of my junk mail (counted by item). Next up: the (physically large) local "circulars" (one down!) VAL-PAK, etc. After that, convincing my local newspaper only to deliver the paper ... :P
-Soren
Page Information
|
Wiki Information |
Recent PBwiki Blog Posts |
Create your own educational wiki!