I am not my local area’s ideal customer yet they continue to send me junk mail.
I’m not interested in double glazing, beauty packages or my new areas pizza parlour.
Yet I end up with coupon deals for family sized pizza offers and spray tan packages.
It doesn’t matter how much eco-friendly control you have on the inside of your home, junk mail will find its way to you.
Don’t worry, you can significantly reduce it.
(To highlight you can’t 100% stop junk mail and I’ll explain why further down.)
Firstly, you are probably wondering why I am talking about junk mail right?
In a nutshell, forests are cut down and worked into a pulp mixture that after manipulation, creates the beautiful thing we call paper. The paper is then shipped to companies who print on it and then send it to you.
[bctt tweet=”Did you know that Junk mail produces more greenhouse gas emissions than 8 million cars?”]
HOW TO STOP RECEIVING JUNK MAIL
We all understand the importance that trees have to sustain our ecosystems and global temperature right? Just think, if we stop the demand for junk mail, we can reduce further environmental impact.
I understand, it is easy to pick up the unwanted mail and throw it straight into the recycling bin. Yes it will be recycled, but the company who sent the mail will never know you were unhappy to receive it. And if they are never told, they will continue to send you more junk mail.
First, you need to identify the two types of junk mail you can receive, named and non-named.
Named mail is what comes through your door addressed to someone in your home.
And non-named, yes, you guessed it, are the letters that aren’t addressed to anyone. They probably state something along the lines of ‘To the Owner’, ‘To the new owner of a super quick internet provider.’
HOW TO STOP RECEIVING NAMED MAIL
Opt out of marketing lists
If you sign up for anything that asks for your home address, make sure you take out a magnifying glass and look for any information that explains the marketing terms.
Usually, without you confirming so, companies and organisations will add you to their marketing mailing lists unless you state otherwise.
If you don’t opt-out for marketing information, you got yourself a giant heap of junk mail. Imagine it like the scene from Harry Potter… “NO POST ON SUNDAYS.”
Register for free with MPS (UK) [click here]
MPS will remove your name and address from the UK industry lists of sales promotions, advertising and direct marketing.
DMS will remove your name and address from the UK industry lists of sales promotions, advertising and direct marketing.
Take note, it can take up to 4 months until you notice a reduction in any unwanted named mail.
Contact your local electoral roll register office (UK) [click here]
Ask you local register office to remove you from the open register.
The open register includes your full name and address and can be purchased by a member of the public, businesses and marketing directors.
Swap all of your paper billing to online
A simple piece of advice, but you would be surprised at how often this is overlooked.
A simple piece of advice, but you would be surprised at how often this is overlooked.
Contact the sender directly
Contact the sender by email or telephone, and tell them you no longer want to receive any mail from them with immediate effect.
Return the junk mail directly to the sender
Cross out your address and write ‘unsolicited mail, please return to sender’ on the envelope. You don’t have to pay any postage for the return, but the sender will receive a return charge. The return charge makes it more likely that action will be taken to remove you from their marketing list.
HOW TO STOP RECEIVING NON-NAMED MAIL
Have you ever wondered how junk mail not addressed to anyone in your home falls through your letterbox? e.g Pizza advertisements and your local window glazing company?
Notify Royal Mail [UK]
Thanks to Royal mail, they have the job of delivering leaflets to every house.
You can opt out by sending them an email that informs them you no longer want to receive marketing mail. [click here]
When they have received your request, they will send you a letter that you need to sign and return to them. Take note, it can take up to 6 weeks before you notice a reduction in the marketing non-named mail. Also, this opt-out service only lasts for 2 years, so you need to reapply when the 2 years are up.
Make a sign or a poster
Get creative and make a poster that states you do not want to receive junk mail.
Stick it on your letterbox, make sure it’s relatively close to the entrance of the letter box. (Not everyone will notice the sign in the bottom corner of a window.)
Remember to state exactly what mail you do not want to receive. Not everyone will think their advertisements for their newly opened beauty salon would be considered junk mail in your household.
Contact the sender directly
Contact the sender by email or telephone, tell them you wish to no longer receive any mail from them with immediate effect.
Return the junk mail directly to the sender
Cross out your address and write ‘unsolicited mail, please return to sender’ on the envelope. You don’t have to pay any postage for the return, but the sender will receive a return charge.
The return charge makes it more likely that action will be taken to remove you from their marketing list.
BUT, I’M STILL GETTING JUNK MAIL?
Okay, so let’s say you are still getting junk mail.
Unfortunately, people (especially those who are spreading the word about their local business) will ignore your ‘no junk mail poster’.
Don’t worry, there are ways to reuse your junk mail before you put it in your recycling bin.
Here are some ideas to get your brain juice going.
- Note-paper Use the back of junk mail letters as note paper
- Card design Reuse the designs to make Celebration cards and gift tags
- Compost Add brown envelopes and white non-glossy paper in your compost pile. Remove any plastic windows and tacky glue strips first
- Recycle Add the paper to your recycling bin
- Stuff things with it You can make draught excluders and pin cushions if you package the paper tightly and overlay a thick fabric
- Animal bedding Hamsters and gerbils need bedding, save yourself some pennies by shredding your junk mail
- Paper mâché Get creative and build structures with your children of for yourself
- Paper baskets You can fold and coil paper strips to make baskets or any size you fancy
- Jewellery Just as above, you can coil the paper into any shape you want and wear it as an awesome looking piece of jewellery.
- Seed pots You can make a box and use that as an alternative to plastic plant pots. Better yet, the self-made seed pot can be put straight into the ground.
| Bonus Content: Download the free Ultimate End to Junk Mail Cheatsheet. |
So there you have it, the Ultimate End to Junk Mail.
You can significantly reduce the mail that enters your home, and reuse any mail that still finds it way to your letterbox.
Tell me in the comments the most annoying piece of junk mail you regularly receive.
