Green Corner: Junk Your Junk Mail It’s good to recycle your junk mail (OK, “unsolicited bulk mail”) . It’s even better to stop getting it.
Stopping junk mail is a form of waste reduction (better than recycling). By stopping the mail you don’t want, you can conserve natural resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Each year, more than 100 million trees worth of bulk mail arrives in American mailboxes. Its production and disposal consumes more energy than 3 million cars and over 28 billion gallons of water.
How to stop junk mail:
Use a junk mail reduction service. They’ll take you and your family members’ names off major direct mail lists, reduce unsolicited credit and insurance offers and unsubscribe you from unwanted catalogs. Resources for this service include:
Do it yourself! Remove your name from mailing lists of companies who send you catalogs, sweepstakes entries, and coupons by calling, writing or going online and requesting that your name be taken off their list.
TIP: When making donations, ordering items through the mail, or subscribing to a publication, include a note that instructs the organization or company to not lend, sell or trade your name to other mailing lists.
Recycle any junk mail you do receive in your blue cart.