Have you ever thought about how much of the mail we receive is unwanted advertisements, catalogs, and credit card offers? The average person receives over 100 pieces of junk mail every year. All of this paper takes a toll on our environment, so it’s important to take steps to reduce our unwanted mail and save trees in the process. We can recycle it, but let’s take a look at some of the ways to opt out of receiving unwanted mail so that we can reduce the amount of paper in the first place.
Opt-Out Services
There are several services that allow you to opt out of receiving junk mail. One such service is the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Mail Preference Service. This service allows you to opt out of receiving unsolicited commercial mail from many national companies for five years.
Another great way to reduce your junk mail is by registering with CatalogChoice.org, which allows you to opt out of receiving catalogs from over 8,000 companies and organizations. You can also contact each company directly and ask them not to send you any more catalogs or flyers in the future.
Also, ask your utilities and financial service providers for paper-free billing and statements.
Finally, if you have a mailbox that gets filled up with credit card offers, registering for OptOutPrescreen will help stop those types of offers from being sent directly to your mailbox. It’s important to note that this service only stops pre-screened offers — meaning those that are sent without your permission — but does not stop regular applications for credit cards or other services from being sent through the mail.
Conclusion:
Opting out of unwanted mail is an effective way to make sure that fewer resources are wasted producing all those solicitations and catalogs, thus helping save trees in the process! By taking advantage of these online services mentioned above, as well as opting out directly from companies via email or phone call, anyone can significantly reduce their annual intake of unwanted mail while still maintaining access to information they actually want and need! Through this small action, we can all work towards preserving our forests and protecting our planet one step at a time!