Practical solutions to the junk mail problem

BY JEANNIE PIEKOS

Nineteen million catalogs are mailed to American consumers each year—3.6 tons of paper are used to make those catalogs.

Ever think about the words that we don’t even hear anymore because they have lost all effect? Take, for example, the word “like.” When used correctly it is a comparison and can even be poetic. For example, Robert Burns wrote, “my love is like a red, red rose”. But, the use of the word “like” nowadays is anything but poetic. It is, like, a total bummer. Junk has worn out its function in junk mail, too. If the word “junk” still had its power there would be much less junk mail in our mail boxes, on our dining room tables, in our recycling bins because who would want it? It is junk, trash—“worthless, meaningless and contemptible.” (dictionary.com)

The junk mail we as Americans receive in just one day is ridiculous. But it is not just irritating and a pain for us as individuals. It is a waste of precious resources. When you think about everything that goes into the creation of a catalog of consumer goods, it is amazing it could even pay for itself. There is the time, the ink, paper, assembly, transportation from printer to mailer to your door. And then there is the disposal end—the recycling or the incinerating, or (unlikely) composting or slowly (if at all) degrading in a landfill. Of course, it doesn’t pay for itself but we as citizens pay for it.

According to Catalogchoice.org, 19 million catalogs are mailed to American consumers each year. Using a nifty online tool called the Environmental Defense Paper Calculator, Catalogchoice.org was able to extrapolate the consequences of all those catalogs. Those 19,000,000 catalogs are 3.6 tons of paper and 53 million trees. The energy used to make that amount of paper is enough to keep 1.2 million families in electricity for a year.Wastewater from the production of that much paper amounts to 53 billion gallons and the effect on global warming is that 5.2 million tons of carbon dioxide are emitted into our atmosphere.

What can you do? The answer should be simple.Wouldn’t it be great if you could have a sign at your mailbox that read, “I refuse to accept all junk!”? And then junk mail would have to be returned to the sender at the sender’s expense. That would be a great lesson. Consumer power! But it doesn’t work that way. You have to be persistent, aggressive and vigilant. It’s kind of like having a crack house on your block.

Below is a list of the many organizations that can help you rid your life of junk mail. With their help you can trim the volume of junk mail you receive.

As mentioned, catalogchoice.org is a powerful tool and a free service to limit your junk mail. It is helpful if you have the catalogs near at hand because most companies work from your customer number, not your name. It may speed things up if you have that customer number. I collected my catalogs for a month, sat down and had them all canceled within about 15 minutes. I also canceled the ones my adult kids still got at my address. It can take up to 10 weeks for the catalogs to quit arriving in your mailbox.

• Optout is a great way to get rid of all those invitations for new credit cards and insurance solicitations. You can go to optoutprescreen.com or call: 1-888-567-8688. This is a free service.

• The National Waste Prevention Coalition provides a postcard to remove your name from mailing lists. Visit metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/nw pc/bizjunkmail8.htm for more information.

• greendimes.com is not a free service but it does plant ten trees for you as well as promise to cut your junk mail by 90 percent. Greendimes.com has a bunch of wonderful information on its website, a blog and system for gift-giving.What a great Earth Day gift this would be for a loved one and for the planet. Ever wonder why you get so much junk mail? Folks you have trusted with your name and address have sold it to other businesses and organizations. According to Greendimes.com your name is worth anywhere from 3 to 20 cents.

Believe it or not, the Direct Marketing Association says that it wants you to be happy with the (junk) mail you receive. They advise that the best way to get off mailing lists is to contact the company directly and ask to be removed. I used to do this regularly. While it is a pain, it is also effective. This is probably the best option for smaller catalogs that wouldn’t be on Catalogchoice.org or for small local mailings like newsletters. You can also use the online service at dmachoice.org/MPS . There is a $1 fee.

Go forth and end your relationship with junk mail. You really don’t have to spend those 15 minutes a day staring at skinny models in jeans you could never wear! Junk, indeed!