Why does Britain hate junk mail?
There are lots of reasons why Britain hates junk mail but here are our Top 5.
- It’s a complete pain, opening and disposing of mail that you are not interested in.
- It uses up more of our natural resources, making the planet a worse place to live.
- It can cause a lot of distress when company’s send mail to the wrong person or even to people who have passed away
- Much of the paper used that ends up in people’s bins doesn’t get recycled.
- You didn’t ask for it in the first place.
What is junk mail
Junk mail is the affectionate term for unwanted leaflets, letters, magazines, takeaway menus etc. pushed through your letterbox.
How many letters have you received telling you about another great credit card offer or buy our car insurance or fancy a timeshare?
Some interesting stats about junk mail
550,000 tonnes of paper was used for junk mail – that’s 3.3 million trees
Most junk mail goes straight in the bin – response rates to junk mail on average are less than 2%.
98% of people don’t give a hoot about junk mail.
The average UK household receives 14.1 pieces of junk mail every 4 weeks.
Junk mail is a waste of time
So if so few people buy something from junk mail, why do companies continue to send it. The sad reality is that although only a tiny proportion of people buy, that is generally enough for these companies to make money from sending out the junk mail in the first place, hence why they keep doing it.
However, given the huge amount of waste and hassle that junk mail creates, surely there is a better way for companies to market their products.
Irresponsible companies
It’s one thing sending out tonnes of paper that hardly anyone wants but there are still lots of companies out there who don’t even use paper from responsible sources.
At the very least, paper is best sourced from a sustainable forest i.e. when the trees are cut down, new trees are planted in their place or even better they re-use paper that has been recycled.
Slowly but surely more companies are doing this but there are still lots who don’t.
How to stop junk mail
It is probably impossible to completely stop junk mail as there are always cowboy companies who will flout the rules and send you stuff anyway but you can cut it right down.
Here are our top tips to a junk mail free lifestyle:
Step 1: Register free with the Mailing Preference Service (MPS)
The Mailing Preference Service (MPS) is a free service that will remove your name and address details from many marketing campaigns.
Registering with the MPS is relative straightforward, you can do it by post, phone or online:
By Post
Mailing Preference Service (MPS)
DMA House
70 Margaret Street
London
W1W 8SS
By Phone
MPS Registration line - 0845 703 4599
Online
http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/mps_choosetype.html
It can take up to 4 months after you have registered, for MPS to take effect but you should start seeing a reduction hopefully after a few weeks.
You can also make complaints to the MPS if you think that you should not have received an item of mail, full details can be found on their website.
http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/
Step 2: Opt out of Royal Mail’s door to door leaflets
Good old Royal Mail not only deliver your post, they also deliver leaflets that you haven’t asked for and earn lots of money by pushing unwanted paper through your letterbox.
However, you can stop this from happening by registering directly with Royal Mail.
You need to fill out an opt-out form which Royal Mail send to your house (there’s a surprise) as they say that they need to confirm your identity but we suspect the real reason is to persuade you not to opt out.
You can either send an e-mail or a letter to them to ask for the door to door opt out form:
By e-mail
By post
Freepost RRBT-ZBXB-TTTS
Door-to-door opt-outs
Royal Mail
Kingsmead House
Oxpens Road
OXFORD
OX1 1RX
It takes 6 weeks for the opt-out to take effect and last for 2 years, so you need to remember to opt out again and again.
Step 3: Opt out of postal communications
Every company that you purchase with and give your address details to will probably keep your details on a database. This means that they can send you unwanted direct mail at any time. You should have the opportunity to opt out if you want to stop receiving any further direct mail from them.
Either ttick the opt out box on their forms (if available), tell them on the phone, send them an e-mail or letter asking them to remove your name and address from any future mailshots.
Step 4: Opt out of the Electoral Register
Each year, you will receive an electoral registration form, you have the opportunity on this form to choose not to be added to the edited voting register. This is a list that anyone can get hold of and use for sending information to you. So each year when you get your registration form, ensure that you choose not to be added to the edited voting register.
Step 5: Get a NO JUNK MAIL sticker
This is a sticker that tells the people who push the junk through your letterbox that you don’t want it. It is not fail safe but should help cut down some more of the junk that you have to look at. There are available from a variety of websites and are inexpensive.
Step 6: Return to sender
If you receive mail that you didn’t want or addressed to someone who doesn’t live at your house and it has a return address on it. All you need to do is write ‘return to sender’ and stick it back in the post box. You don’t need to pay for a stamp as the company who sent it will foot the bill. If it was addressed to someone who doesn’t live at your house, also write addressee unknown. Good companies will then take the details off their database stopping any more junk from coming your direction.
Step 7: Royal Mail redirect service when moving house
This is a service that Royal Mail offers to ensure that any mail sent o your old address will turn up at your new address. This is both beneficial for you as you may forget about some companies you want to receive post from and this will remind you to update your new address details with them. It is also a courtesy to the people who move into your old home as they won’t get lots of mail addressed to you.
http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/jump3?catId=400144&mediaId=15400357
Avoiding Identity Theft and Looking After Your Personal Information
As well as stopping junk mail, it is also important that you look after your personal information. Identity theft is on the increase and it is important that you take steps to protect yourself.
Here are some easy things that you can do to protect yourself:
- Store any documents carrying any personal details in a safe place.
- Shed or destroy all documents containing any personal details before throwing them away.
- Ask the Post Office for advice on secure postage if you have to post any personal documents.
- Limit the number of documents containing personal details which you carry around on a daily basis.
- Check your bank and credit card statements carefully for unfamiliar transactions.
- Use different passwords and PINs for different accounts.
- Be careful when using public computers to access your personal information.
- Check your credit file regularly for any suspicious applications
- Always think about who you are giving information to and why they would need it. Be cautious!
- Protect your home computer with anti-virus, firewall and anti-spam software before going online.
- When you move house, redirect all your mail and inform your bank, utilities companies and other organisations of your new address.