Reduce paper waste by opting out of the junk mail you receive. The Product Stewardship Institute’s infographic summarizes the social, environmental and economic problems associated with junk mail.
Each of the following services is different, so using all of them will give you the best results toward significantly reducing unwanted catalogs, retail promotions, credit card offers, insurance offers, and other junk mail.
Opt-out services
- CatalogChoice is managed by a non-profit organization that works with over 8,000 companies to encourage them to voluntarily honor your opt-out requests. Use the service to stop unwanted mail and catalogs that you currently receive.
- DMAchoice allows you to remove your name from the marketing lists of 3,600 companies and organizations that are members of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). DMA represents about 80 percent of the total volume of marketing mail in the U.S., and they require their members to honor opt-out requests. Use the service to keep your name off future prospecting lists.
- National Do Not Mail List is managed by a direct mail company. They offer a free online service to help you remove your name from marketing lists used by mass mailers. Use the service to keep your name off future prospecting lists.
- OptOutPreScreen.com allows you to remove your name from lists that the consumer credit reporting companies Equifax, Experian, Innovis, and TransUnion sell to companies for prescreened and preapproved credit card and insurance policy offers. The consumer credit reporting companies are required by law to honor your opt-out requests.
Will these services stop all junk mail?
While you can greatly reduce the amount of junk mail you receive by using opt-out services, you will not be able to stop all junk mail. Some mail is sent to all households in your area—such as political mail and advertisements from local stores, grocers, and restaurants. These offers may not have opt-out options.
You’ll also continue receiving mail from companies that you currently do business with. To stop these types of offers, directly write or email each of the senders.
Phone books
Use National Yellow Pages' Consumer Choice & Opt-Out to stop phone book deliveries to your home or business.