Ways to opt out of receiving junk mail

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Ways to opt out of receiving junk mail

Written by Julee Mitchell

Wednesday, 15 May 2019

Is junk mail overcrowding your mailbox? If so, you’re not alone; the Environmental Protection Agency reports Americans as a whole receive close to five million tons of junk mail every year and according to the US Postal Service, 59% of all mail delivered is advertising mail, and only about half of it ever gets read. That equates to a lot of wasted paper and even when it can be recycled it still takes a lot of resources to print it in the first place. The Urban Ecology Center receives a lot of junk mail too and here’s how we’re taking steps to (hopefully) get rid of it permanently!

There are a few ways to opt out of receiving junk mail. First, by calling or emailing the company directly and ask them to remove you from their mailing list. This method is pretty time consuming, but you can specifically opt out of the things you don’t want to receive and still receive the things you do want. The second way is to use a website such as CatalogChoice.org or DirectMail.com. Both of these companies streamline the opt-out process so you don't have to contact companies yourself and it’s free, however, it may take some time for the mailings to discontinue. Just imagine, with a few clicks you can say good-bye to those catalogs (which can be viewed online) and say hello to a roomy mailbox!

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If you want to dive deeper into this topic and get more information, check out this site and read “How to Get Off Mailing Lists to Stop Junk Mail in 6 Easy Steps”

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Notes from an Odonata workshop Riverside Park from the 1880s to 1985

Julee Mitchell

Julee works in the UEC Development Department where she strives to keep accurate records of donors and members. Before being hired as a staff member, Julee was an avid volunteer at the UEC helping with community events and programs. She has a graduate degree in Urban Planning from UW-Milwaukee and has a passion for sustainability. She enjoys travel, outdoor sports and leisure, yoga and spending time with her children. Her hobbies include organic gardening and keeping backyard chickens on her urban homestead.