Waste Prevention World

You Can Reduce Unwanted Mail

In 1990, over 418,000 tons of bulk mail were thrown away unopened in the U.S. Reducing junk mail saves landfill space, conserves natural resources, and may reduce your trash bill.

How do I get on mailing lists?

Every time you buy something, order a product by mail or on the Web, enter a contest, make a donation, write a check, subscribe to a magazine, or send in a warranty card, chances are your name and address are being added to a mailing list of some kind. That mailing list might be rented, sold, or traded to other companies.

How do I get off the mailing lists?

Get off national mailing lists.

Direct Marketing Association (DMA) Mail Preference Service (MPS)—MPS can be used to get off of some junk mailing lists. There are two ways to do it, on-line and by mail. Either method will involve a fee of $1.00.

ADVO—According to its website, ADVO, Inc. is the nation's largest targeted home-delivered print advertising provider, with 25 mail processing facilities, 33 sales offices nationwide and in Canada, approximately 3,900 associates, 25,000 clients, and more than $1.2 billion in revenues.  To have your name and address removed from the ADVO list, fill out its web form, or download the paper form (PDF, 25 KB), fill it out, and mail it to ADVO. You will need to mail the paper form to ADVO again every five years, and whenever you move.  ADVO's Web site does not specify whether or not the Web form must be resubmitted every five years.

Notify mailing list brokers.
Some companies specialize in collecting and selling mailing lists. Write or call these companies and ask to be placed in their "suppress" files:

• Donnelley Marketing, Inc.
  470 Chestnut Ridge Rd.
  Woodcliff , NJ 07677
  (800) 223-7777
• Donnelley Marketing, Inc.
  Data Base Operations
  416 South Bell
  Aimes, IA 50010
  (888) 633-4402
• Experian
  List Maintenance
  901 West Bond
  Lincoln, NE 68521 (800) 228-4571

Return junk mail stamped "address correction requested" or "return postage guaranteed."
Return junk mail unopened to the sender by writing "Refused. Return to sender." on the envelope. Without this special notation; the post office will not return the mail to the sender.

Call mail order catalog companies.
Most catalogs provide an 800 telephone number for placing an order; call this number and ask to be taken off their mailing list.

Contact specific organizations or businesses.
If you receive unwanted flyers or mail, call the customer service department of the organization or business responsible and request that your name be removed from their mailing list. Alternatively, send in a written request that is signed and dated. Include a sample of the mailing label so the sender can identify how you are listed in their files.

Contact credit bureaus.
Credit bureaus may sell names and addresses to banks and credit card companies. You can now contact Equifax, Trans Union, and Experian by calling a single toll-free number: (888) 5-OPT-OUT or (888) 567-8688. There is also a fourth credit reporting agency, Innovis, which receives this information.

Don't forget to recycle the junk mail you do receive.
Special thanks! Material in this fact sheet was adopted from "How to reduce junk mail" by Kings County Solid Waste Division, 1994 and "Junk Mail Reduction Kit" by City of Palo Alto Recycling Program.

Waste Prevention and Recycling at Home

Last updated: April 21, 2008