Tired of having your mailbox crammed with unsolicited mail? So are we. While it’s challenging to remove it all, there are steps you can take to reduce paper mailings and their associated emissions.
By reclaiming your mailbox, you can simplify your life too.
Start by determining the primary source of your unwanted mail. Then pick from the following resources to plan your attack.
- Credit and insurance mail. Opt-out of prescreened offers for credit and insurance by following the steps provided by the Federal Trade Commission.
- Catalogs. Create a free account at catalogchoice.org and cancel any of the catalogs on their list.
- Use an app. Download paperkarma for a small fee, snap photos, and let them handle the work to end most junk mail and unwanted catalogs.
- End direct mailings. If you’ve done the above and still can’t get rid of those pesky mailings often addressed “To our Neighbors,” try DMAchoice for a small fee.
- When all else fails, call. Business and non-profits tend to keep you on their list if you’ve ordered or donated to them in the past. In that case, you’ll need to call and ask them to remove you or change the frequency of their requests.
Don’t forget about your bills. You can save trees by switching to an e-delivery. Check envelopes or bill statements for instructions on how to go paperless for each of your accounts.
All of this will take some time, but make a list and keep persisting. Eventually, you will start to reclaim your mailbox and see your efforts pay off.
Did you know?
- That’s a lot of junk. The EPA reports that more than 4 million tons of junk mail are produced yearly.
- Sad, but true. Over half of all junk mail ends up in the landfill.
