Image: donotmail.org
Just about five years after the opening of the Do Not Call Registry, ForestEthics has signed, sealed, and delivered on a campaign for a Do Not Mail Registry, aimed at eliminating that other annoying way marketers try to reach their grubby little hands into our personal lives: junk mail.
According to ForestEthics, some 100 billion pieces of junk mail are delivered each year (800+ pieces per household!), and junk mail in the U.S. alone accounts for one-third of all the mail delivered in the world.
If those stats don't get you burning to write a strongly worded letter, perhaps this will:
- Manufacturing the 6.5 million tons of paper for that junk mail produces more greenhouse-gas emissions than 3.7 million cars.
- More than 100 million trees -- many of them from endangered forests -- are cut down to produce that paper each year.
Read more about the Do Not Mail campaign, and join the crowd of 20,000+ who have already given the petition a stamp of approval.
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Comments
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sindark Posted 11:47 pm
11 Mar 2008
a sibilant intake of breath
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thetinyone Posted 1:29 am
12 Mar 2008
Each time a senator brings a bill forward to control the Direct Mail issue. The USPS postmaster of that area says. "that will put us out of business".
It will raise the price of a stamp. Ok with me.
And will put the Direct Mail Lobbyist (The DMA, ADVO) alarm bells on to shut that Senator up for going after another government organization the USPS. So step 1 privatize the USPS. Step 2 introduce the bill for the do not mail list. Than the Senators don't have to play games with lobbyist's and other government works feeling bad that they will put them out of work.
There seems to be an influx of junk mail stopping companies out there in the last 24 months. http://www.stopthejunmail.com was first to the marketplace. Than startups getting big $'s for fighting the problem like Greendimes, proquo
They should not have to be, but are do to the fact that this problem exists.
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VeganCountyFan Posted 9:29 pm
12 Mar 2008
It is possible to complain about a company that breaks these rules and a relatively heavy fine can ensue. But, only if you know the company that is breaching the rules (not always possible when you get an automated phone call), only if it originates from a UK company (we get quite a lot of calls coming from the US and Canada), and you can be bothered!
I am registered and receive very little mail and even fewer calls. However, since the introduction of these schemes, I have noticed an increase in the number of leaflets and fliers that are just pushed through the door or delivered inside free newspapers.
All in all, it's a good system and seems to work quite well.
You can read more about it here
http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/
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caniscandida Posted 10:08 pm
12 Mar 2008
I hate throwing all this junk into the paper recycling pile!
But I like getting other catalogues, e.g. from publishers of serious books, and museum gift shops. What is life, without Love, Art and Philosophy?
So I hope the junkmail-culler who advertises in Grist, whom I have engaged, is nuanced enough to block the WRONG catalogues and let through the OK catalogues.
Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.
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wkc Posted 5:16 am
13 Mar 2008
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kmp Posted 5:28 am
13 Mar 2008
It's a bit of a pain, because you need to save the catalog and enter in the customer number, and I have found about half the companies "refuse" the request from Catalog Choice, so I have to call them anyway, but it is a handy way to track all the info, and it has cut way down on the number of catalogs I receive... and it's also free.
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