Delete spam the old-fashioned way
Monday, April 7th, 2008
Last week I wrote about making your bills paperless, but the biggest source of mailbox waste is probably junk mail. I used to fish mine out of the letterbox every day, and drop it in the recycling bin before going inside. My recycling bin was full of catalogs and flyers, which seemed a bit stupid since I’d never asked for them in the first place.
According to the Australian Conservation Foundation, “Australians receive on average 7 billion unaddressed flyers, leaflets and catalogues in their letterboxes every year. If your household said no to junk mail that could save almost 1000 pieces of unwanted junk each year!” Here’s a few ideas to reduce the junk mail you get:
Put a ‘No Junk Mail’ sticker on your letterbox
I got one for free from the Australian Conservation Foundation as part of their Act Now On Climate Change kit, but it doesn’t seem to be one of the current goodies in the bag. However, you can get them in all styles from hardware stores. You’ll probably find that a few persistent junk mailers will continue to leave stuff in your mail box, but I’ve found that a quick email to the business explaining what the sticker means should make them stop.
Use the ADMA’s Do Not Mail service
The ADMA has a free Do Not Mail service, which will remove you from the mailing list of many direct marketers. If you don’t get a reduction after 30 days you can lodge a complaint.
Of course, there are still some bits of junk that will get through, usually from companies you’ve done business with. Before you recycle it…
Reuse it
- as a bin liner if you’ve given up plastic bags
- in your compost; shred it and chuck it in, but don’t add too much
- as art for your home
- as a huge art installation, if you’re up for it
Naturally, the one company I wish would ignore the No Junk Mail sticker always obeys it, so I never get Ikea catalogues anymore! However, they’ve got theirs online, and I can pick one up from their shop, so that should sort me out. Most shops and businesses have email lists now so you’ll still be able to keep up to date on their latest products and specials if you’re a frequent customer, only now without the wasteful paper.