Did you know that 17.5 billion pieces of junk mail are produced and distributed each year in the UK?

I may be tempting to think ‘oh, it doesn’t matter, it will just get recycled’, but it costs money, and more importantly, energy and resources to collect and recycle this huge amount of unwanted, mostly paper.

Every year the average British household receives 650 pieces of junk mail. The majority of junk mail we receive remains unopened or unread.

Receiving junk mail is not only a nuisance, but also a waste of valuable resources. If you are fed up with receiving junk mail and want to reduce the amount of wastepaper that comes through your letterbox, help is at hand!
In the UK there are a number of ‘opt out schemes’, with each scheme putting a stop to different types of junk mail.

 Royal Mail Door to Door ‘Opt-Out’ Service

This free door to door ‘opt-out’ service puts a stop to unaddressed mail distributed by Royal Mail and can reduce your junk mail by 3 – 6 pieces per week. If you wish to opt out of receiving door to door mail items, you can either ring 0345 266 0858 , or you can email your name and address to: optout@royalmail.com. You will then receive an opt out form which you will need to sign and return. Unaddressed mail will then stop being delivered to your home by Royal Mail within 6 weeks.

Mailing Preference Service

The Mailing Preference Service (MPS) is a free service that can help put a stop to named and addressed junk mail sent from companies and organisations that you have never had any dealings with before. The MPS can remove your name and address from up to 95% of direct mailing lists, reducing the amount of unwanted mail by up to 4Kg per household a year.  You can also use MPS to stop upsetting junk mail addressed to deceased relatives or previous occupiers. You can register with the scheme for free via one of the following options:

Online: www.mpsonline.org.uk
Call: 020 7291 3310

Once you have registered with the MPS, it will take up to four months for you to notice a reduction in such mail.
 

Handy hints for avoiding junk mail.

It is important to stay ‘tick box’ alert whenever you buy a product or service that requires you to give your name and address. The company may want to use your details to send you further (junk) mail or to sell to third parties. Take a few moments to read any small print. The tick boxes give you the opportunity to ‘opt out’ or ‘opt in’ to the company sending you more mail or selling your details.
 

‘No junk mail’ stickers

Opt out schemes will not stop local takeaways, business or local distribution companies posting flyers and mail through your door.

The best way to reduce such junk mail is by placing a ‘No Junk Mail’ sticker on your door or letterbox, however, his will not stop local newspapers being delivered.

Talk to the junk mailers.

If you keep receiving addressed mail from a specific company, simply give them a call and speak to them directly or send them a written request.

For more information about stamping out junk mail:

Visit: www.stopjunkmail.org.uk