August 6th, 2008

Green Your Mail, Save 100 Million Trees

Posted by Cassie Walker

Considering the fact that hardly anyone writes letters anymore, the amount of mail the average household receives is absolutely amazing. Though some of it is legitimate correspondence, much is “junk mail” sent as advertising.

According to ForestEthics, junk mail in the US accounts for 1/3 of all mail worldwide, with each household receiving more than 800 pieces per year. It takes 100 million trees each year to create the paper that makes that junk mail, most of which you throw straight into the recycling bin, unopened. This explains why ForestEthics is heading up the push for a national Do Not Mail registry, akin to the Do Not Call registry that saves us from most telemarketing calls today. Government is also on the scent: According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), 12 state legislatures are considering Do Not Mail legislation.

In the meantime, there are many ways to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive. We wrote about several services last year, including 41pounds.org, GreenDimes, and Stopthejunkmail.com– each removes your name from mailing lists for a fee, a portion of which is used for environmental causes.

In addition to these services, the DMA maintains their own Do Not Mail list, called the Mail Preference Service. Registering online is free, and all DMA members are required to eliminate registrants from their mailing lists. You can also sign up for the electronic version, the eMail Preference Service. The DMA also provides resources for removing the names of deceased family members from lists, as well as tips to prevent identity theft, and a guide for those who have had their identity stolen.

As useful as all of these services are, it’s important to keep in mind just what they do, and what they won’t do. Just like with telemarketing, companies with whom you have a relationship may still contact you, despite registering on a Do Not Mail list. To stop those mailers, you usually have to contact each one directly.

Catalog backlog

This issue becomes crystal clear when it comes to catalogs. If you’ve ever bought anything from a catalog, you know that as soon as you do, you start getting a whole lot more catalogs – both from the company you bought from, and from other companies as well. Though registering with a Do Not Mail service will reduce the number of catalogs you receive from new companies, those “with whom you have a relationship” –meaning you’ve bought from them in the past – can and will still send their materials.

The free catalog-specific service Catalog Choice can help with this. You’ll put a dent in the 19 billion catalogs mailed to Americans each year by selecting each catalog that you’d like to stop receiving – whether you’ve bought from them or not. Catalog Choice contacts each company for you. Sponsored by the Ecology Center and endorsed by the Natural Resources Defense Council, you can also invite your friends to use the service by providing their email addresses.

Don’t call me, I’ll call you

Phone books are another matter. If you no longer use them, the 540 million produced each year can be a big waste of paper – and some even come wrapped in plastic. So far, there is not an automated service designed specifically to stop the delivery of books, though Paperless Petition is working on one. In the meantime, the Creative Citizen has published a list of toll-free numbers to call to be removed from each company’s distribution route. Also, the junk mail reduction service MyJunkTree.com includes phone books in its services.

You’ve been denied

Similarly, you’ll need to “opt out” of prescreened credit card offers separately as well. By law, the credit reporting companies like Equifax and TransUnion may make your name available to credit and insurance companies who wish to make offers to you. Fortunately, the law also requires that you have a way to “opt out” of receiving these offers. The official site to do so is OptOutPrescreen.com. Fill out a simple form online, and you’re free from pre-approved offers for five years.

If it is to be, it’s up to me

Marketers aren’t the only ones to blame here. Do you still pay your bills by mail? If so, consider signing up for online bill pay services. Most banks offer them free of charge, and once you spend a few minutes getting it set up, it will cut down on the time it takes to pay bills each month. Plus, you’ll save money on checks and postage.

Similarly, ask your bank and financial advisor to send your statements electronically. Or, they may email a notice to you when your new statement is ready – you just log in to their site to view it. Usually, it’s just a few clicks on their site to set this up, and you can cut down on the paper you receive, and have to file.

Subscriptions to newspapers and magazines also use a lot of paper, and if you’re like many households, they often go unread. Consider reducing the number of subscriptions that you receive – the publications can often be read online, sometimes for free. Or, share magazines with others in your office or apartment building. Of course, when you’re finished, recycle them.

I say ship it. Ship it good.

Sometimes, it just absolutely, positively has to be there overnight. But let’s face it, usually it doesn’t. To lower the environmental impact of shipping your packages and purchases, use the standard method (ground) instead of next day, which is transported by air. The emissions caused by air travel and transport are tremendous, whereas FedEx and other shipping companies are investing in more efficient hybrid trucks. If you’re packaging it yourself, avoid the Styrofoam^® peanuts. They are rarely recyclable, and certainly aren’t biodegradable. Wad up old newspapers or use cardboard peanuts instead. If you receive Styrofoam^® in something you’ve bought, reuse it yourself or take it to a mailhouse for reuse.

Finally, avoid anything that’s peel-and-stick or self-stick. These items use what’s known as pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs), which are not recyclable, according to the California Integrated Waste Management Board. From stamps to labels to envelopes, the adhesive used in PSAs has to be screened during the recycling process, and the technology used to do so is not very effective. So, in the end, PSAs reduce the quality of paper submitted for recycling. Instead, go old school and lick ‘em and stick ‘em…though you might want to use a sponge to avoid that icky taste.

These changes don’t take much time or effort, but they can have a big impact.