Stop Junk Mail

There are lots of reasons you will want to stop junk mail.

There are various sources of statistics available but in general if you reduce the amount of junk mail you receive each year, you personally will save two trees and prevent some 92 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the air.

Consider the amount of energy required to produce and dispose of all the paper used for junk mailing and it becomes obvious that stopping junk mail is good for the planet.

But the focus of this discussion is on organized living. You want to achieve and maintain control of paper and unsolicited mail that finds its way to your address.

There are a couple of ways to do this but first it is important to understand how you might contribute to the junk mail problem at your doorstep.

Where does it come from?

Every time you fill out a form with mailing information you are taking the risk that this information will be used for direct mail marketing purposes. This includes credit card applications, subscriptions, membership applications for clubs or service organizations and even the warranty cards you send in when you purchase a new appliance.

Responding to unsolicited mail by filling out forms and sending them back will only increase the amount of junk mail you receive. Because you have responded you have now given the direct mail marketing company the cue they need to keep sending you even more and more unsolicited mail.

Aggregate lists of responders are sold to other direct mail marketing companies and you will just get more and more unsolicited mail. If you want to stop junk mail, never respond to any unsolicited offers that come through the mail.

Unwanted and unsolicited mail can also be coming to your current address when previous tenants have failed to re-route their mail when they moved out. It is always nice to be able to contact previous tenants and let them know that some mail has arrived but if you have no forwarding or other contact information for the previous tenants simply return the mail to the sender.

How to Stop Junk Mail?

The best way is to register with the direct mail marketing organization for your country and get on the "no junk mail list".

Here are some links and contacts for stopping junk mail.

USA	Canada	UK	Australia
DMA choice Direct Marketing Association You can register online or mail in the form that is available on that site. You can also get information on this site about the "Deceased Do Not Contact List" and "Do Not Contact for Caregivers List"	The Do Not Contact Service of the Canadian Marketing Association. You can also register online	Mail Preference Service You can also stop mailings to a deceased person at this site	Do Not Mail Service Australia Direct Marketing Association

Most provinces in Canada have privacy protection laws that require an organization to inform you why they are collecting information about you and whether or not they plan to sell it. Under these rules they are also required to provide an "opt out" box so look for this next time you fill out any type of form that gives a company personal mailing information.

Are you desperate to stop unwanted mail deliveries ?

If you have tried everything to stop unwanted addressed mail coming to your home and it keeps coming try this:

Cross out the name and write DECEASED in big bold black permanent marker ink.
Circle the return address
Write return to sender
drop it in the mailbox

That should stop it!

How to stop junk mail deliveries from Canada Post.

Stop telephone clutter. Get on the telemarketing do not call list for your country.

International Shipping Information