Even if you’ve got a big sticker on your postbox telling people that you don’t want to receive junk mail, you can still receive a lot of unwanted flyers. Here’s how you can stop receiving unwanted junk mail and save countless trees in the process!
The stats around junk mail
As well as being a bit of a nuisance, receiving physical junk mail has a big footprint on the environment. According to The Washington Post, if you held onto all the junk mail you received in a year, it would weigh around 41 pounds. About 42% of junk mail actually ends up going into landfills before it’s even opened, and the production of junk mail has the same carbon footprint as 9 million vehicles. (Link)
So, trying to reduce the amount of unwanted junk mail you receive will help the planet as well as your household!
Update your preferences with the Data Marketing Association
If you’re in the US or UK the majority of your junk mail is sent by an organisation called the Data Marketing Association (DMA). You are able to update your preferences on their website and opt out of any or all mail marketing materials, which should hugely reduce the amount of junk mail you receive.
Unsubscribe piece by piece
If you’re outside of those countries or looking for an even more effective way to stop junk mail, then be prepared to do it the long way! Unsubscribing as and when you receive junk mail in the post might seem daunting, but if you dedicate 5-10 minutes to it a few times a week, it’ll easily become a habit.
You can do this by visiting the website of the company that you’ve received the flyer/mail from, and opt out of their communications. They legally have to have this option on their website,
There’s also an app called Paper Karma that allows you to unsubscribe to junk mail by simply taking a picture of the mail and uploading it to the app! This could help speed up your unsubscribing rates even more.
Learn more about reducing junk mail inside The Green Marketing Academy
We’ve got modules dedicated to reducing the impact of your print marketing, reducing junk mail, and crafting a sustainable social strategy, and we give our live cohort students access to some of the greatest people in the green marketing space with guest speaker workshops.
If you’re ready to create a marketing strategy that is sustainable for the planet and for your business, make lasting positive changes, and be a part of the future of marketing, join us today!
Or, if you’re looking for that extra level of accountability, sign up to our newsletter list to be the first to hear when the live cohort is open for intake.
