Catalogs from shops and showrooms that you have never been to? Credit Card offers from banks you did not even know existed? And how about those pesky ad-brochures?
Well, now with a little bit of positive action you can do away with the junk mails. Some of the options available may even offer up real money for you to stop junk mail.
Other than just a nuisance, there are several benefits of reducing and stopping the junk mails completely. Its better for environment as it will eventually cut-down the paper consumption - saving millons of trees every year.
The book 50 Simple Things You Can Do To Save The Earth listed stopping unwanted junk mail as its number 2 recommendation. Some interesting junk mail statistics from the book include:
- Each year, 100 million trees are used to produce junk mail;
- 250,000 homes could be heated with one day's supply of junk mail; and
- Americans receive almost 4 million tons of junk mail every year.
Direct mail organizations have a variety of ways of acquiring your name and personal information. They usually purchase lists of names from credit bureaus, credit card companies, banks, magazine subscription lists, warranty information cards and many other commercial services. For more information about change of address information provided by the US Postal Service please see http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/04/20/postal_spam/index.html
How Can I Stop Junk Mail?
One of the most effective things you can do is to write letters to mail preference services and credit bureaus requesting that your name and address be removed from their lists. The names and addresses of the largest name-selling companies are listed on the back side of this fact sheet. Contact all your credit card companies and ask them not to release your name, address, or phone number to anyone for marketing, mailing, or promotional purposes.
Other companies to contact include: your credit union and mortgage company, all magazines you subscribe to, groups of which you are a member, airline frequent flyer programs, hotel programs, cable companies, and more. Anyone who sends you a bill may sell your name. Many of the charities we support can earn as much money selling names and addresses as through donations. Every time you order something over the phone, internet, or through the mail, your name may be sold. To keep this from happening, call or write these organizations and request a privacy designation on your name, address and phone number. Tell them that under no circumstances is your personal information to be sold.
You can opt out of unwanted credit card offers by opting out of the pre-screened credit card offers.Just visit -- www.optoutprescreen.com
Green Dimes (www.greendimes.com) is another company that offers services (basic free and paid premium level) to stop junk mails. It even offers $1 to anyone who signs up to reduce junk mail even for the free service.
A free junk mail mitigation kit is available through: StopJunkMail.Org
Other Sources for managing Junk Mail:
ProQuo.com
CatalogChoice.org
New American Dream
41pounds.org
JunkMailFixit
Private Citizen
Tidy Mailbox
For further information
Direct Marketing Association
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
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