4 Easy Steps to Reduce Junk Mail – a guest post

4 Easy Steps To Reduce Junk Mail

 

Who likes junk mail?  Come on raise your hands…..

No one likes junk mail! It is annoying to deal with and wastes time and resources.  According to 41pounds.org, “more than 100 million trees are destroyed each year to produce junk mail.”

One of the easiest things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint and the junk that clutters up your home is to reduce your junk mail.

To get started,

1)    Sign up for the Direct Marketing Association Program to reduce junk mail
If you do business with a particular company you will still get their mailings (you won’t miss the new Pottery Barn catalog!) You can choose whether you want to eliminate all junk mail (with one click) or you can customize what you receive. Your selections stay in effect for 5 years.  This won’t eliminate everything, only those companies that use the DMA service, but mine decreased tremendously!

2)    Eliminate pre-approved credit card offers
You can opt out of receiving pre-approved credit card offers for 5 years or forever.  This one will actually help protect you from identity theft as well as reduce the paper.

3)    Stop getting checks from your credit cards
You know those checks your credit card company sends to make it oh so easy to pay a bill and charge it to your credit card.  Do you ever use them?  Eliminate them by calling your credit card company.  This one also reduces your risk of identity theft.  While you are on the phone, ask them if there is anything else you can opt out of receiving or receive electronically instead.

4)    Cancel the Yellow pages
I never use a single one of the 4 versions I was receiving.  You can opt out of receiving these.

It will take anywhere from 30 to 90 days for the changes to take effect, but this will make a great dent in your mailbox clutter.

The next step takes a little more time.  You need watch your mail and collect the items you don’t want to receive.  These items will be from companies or organizations you do business with – financial institutions, colleges, non-profits, etc.  When you have a few minutes, call or email the companies directly to be removed from their distribution list or opt for electronic delivery.  Make sure you have the address label handy as they may ask for information from it.  Any company you do business with has the right to send you mail unless you specifically ask them not to.

Are you ready to take back your mailbox?  What junk mail do you find particularly annoying?

Kristina Greene blogs at The Greening Of Westford, where she focuses on practical eco-friendly actions anyone can do to save time, money, aggravation, oh, and the planet!  Connect with her through her blog, facebook and twitter.