How to opt out and reduce the unwanted paper flow in your mailbox.
Day after day, a routine scenario plays out: the USPS truck cruises up the street, the mail carrier stops to tuck a stack into the mailbox and then later, I jaunt down to collect the contents. In the 30-second walk back to the house, a quick sorting process results in two piles: things to open and things to toss. Before I even enter the door, a pile of unsolicited mail ends up directly in the outdoor recycling bin. That’s a really short lifespan, and a whole lot of paper waste.
In fact, it is estimated that between 80 million and 100 million trees are cut down annually to produce junk mail, and around 3.7 million tons of that mail ends up directly in the landfill. (EPA)
So why are we receiving all of this unwanted mail? Direct mail advertising remains a profitable method for businesses of all sizes to target and reach consumers directly. According to U.S. Census data, the direct mail advertising and marketing industry generated a total revenue of 9.95 billion dollars in 2022, and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) reports that direct mailings outperform other types of marketing and lead to the highest return on investment. Advertising mail is also a profitable arm of the US Postal Service, accounting for around 62% of all household mail delivered.
While no state or federal laws exist to help prohibit the unwanted direct advertising mail we receive, if we are willing to put in a little individual legwork, there are many tools available to manage and reduce the amount that reaches our boxes. After tracking my own mailbox intake for several weeks, these are the resources I’ve found helpful in thinning out the paper flow.
Ways to Opt-Out of Direct Mail
OptOutPrescreen.com (Credit cards, Insurance offers)
This is a free service to opt-out of offers from credit reporting companies like Equifax, Experian, Innovis and TransUnion. By providing your name and address, and optionally your date of birth and social security number, you can remove yourself from receiving offers for 5 years, or request to permanently remove yourself by mailing in an opt-out form.
2. DMAchoice (Catalogs, Retail Promotions, Magazine Offers, Donation Requests, etc.)
An online tool offered by the ANA, this service enables consumers to remove themselves from promotional mailing lists. Estimated to reduce advertising mail by 80%, the process involves a $5 fee and registration lasts for 10 years.
3. Catalog Choice (Catalogs)
Operated by an environmentally-focused non-profit organization, this service aims to help remove you from catalog-specific mailing lists. By first creating an account, you can use the catalog search tool to specify the catalog you’d like to stop receiving, and Catalog Choice will reach out on your behalf. Though this is a free service, they do suggest donations.
4. Valpak (Coupons)
Submitting a Valpak Unsubscribe Request form online removes your name from their mailing list for 3 years–-but opting out of direct mailings doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the local offers you are interested in. Coupons can still be accessed at valpak.com.
5. Directories (Yellow Pages)
If you are still receiving the Yellow Pages, you can opt-out by registering on their consumer choice website. You will first need to register by providing your name, contact information and address. Once registered, you can type in your zip code to apply an opt-out of all directories mailed in your zip code.
6. Product Warranty Cards
Read the fine print when it comes to product warranty cards. Manufacturers are not legally allowed to require consumers to return warranty registration cards as a condition of the warranty, unless the proof of date is pertinent to the warranty. Often, personal information provided on these cards is sold to marketers, who then add your name to their mailing lists. Weigh your options. If you do choose to send in a product warranty card, avoid supplying personal information.
7. Political Campaigns
When you register to vote, your name and address becomes part of your county’s registered-voter database. To remove your name from lists, contact the campaign organization directly to request that they remove you from all solicitations.
While there’s no perfect solution to ending all junk mail, these steps are a solid place to start. Keep track of what you’re receiving and try to reach out directly to companies or organizations with opt-out requests when other measures fail. Some websites make it easy by providing online opt-out forms or emails specific for opt-out requests. Other companies may be less responsive, but it doesn’t hurt to keep trying.
As you work to minimize the environmental toll of paper in your mailbox, also consider shifting to paperless billing and correspondence with providers when possible, and recycle what you can.
–Jill Span Hofbauer
Sources:
"New ANA Study Shows Marketers Still Favor Email For Direct Ads and Direct Mail Still Leads in ROI by a Wide Margin." 2022. Association of National Advertisers.
"Use of warranty registration cards." Legal Information Institute. Cornell Law.
"Non-Durable Goods: Product Specific Data. Environmental Protection Agency.
"A Decade of Facts & Figures." US Postal Service.
Kim, Juhea."Let’s Ban Junk Mail Already” 2019. Sierra Club.
"Direct mail advertising and marketing in the United States ." Statista.
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