Reduce  Junk Mail
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Remove Me
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Be proactive: remove your name from mailing lists.
- Write
- Call
- Fill Out
- Addresses
- Great Tips
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- Depletes natural resources
- Creates waste
- Fills landfills
- Steals tax money for disposal fees
- Uses water for paper processing
- Uses inks with heavy metals
- Often trashed unopened and unread
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 Step 1: Write
This step will NOT end solicitations from:
- local merchants
- religious and charitable associations
- professional and alumni associations
- politicians
- companies with which you conduct business
To eliminate mail from the above groups - and mail addressed to "occupant" or "resident" - write directly to each source.
See STEP 2 and GREAT TIPS.
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In the USA, there are several direct mail servieces and mailing list brokers.
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is one of the largest.
A letter to the DMA MPS (address below) will remove you from their list for 5 years.
To have your name removed from national mailing lists, write a letter to one or all of these addresses:
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| Adresses
Write to these addresses using the sample letter as a guide.
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Direct Marketing Association
Mail Preference Service
P.O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008
http://www.the-dma.org |
Metromail Corp.
List Maintenance
901 West Bond
Lincoln NE 68521 |
Database America
Attn: Opt-outs
470 Chestnut Ridge Rd
Woodcliff Lake NJ 07677-7604
(subsidiary of Donnelly) |
The Polk Company
Attention: Opt-Out Coordinator
26955 Northwestern Highway
Southfield, MI 48034-8455
Tel: 1-800-464-7655
http://www.polk.com |
Donnelly Marketing, Inc.
Attn: Data Base Operations
PO Box 3502
Ames IA 50010-3502
Tel: 800.711.4913
http://www.donnelleymarketing.com |
D&B
Customer Service
899 Eaton Avenue
Bethlehem, PA 18028
Tel: 800-333-0505
http://www.dnb.com |
Telephone Preference Service
c/o Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 9014
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9014
http://www.the-dma.org/consumers/offtelephonelist.html |
Be patient!
You will receive a reply in several weeks.
It can take 3 to 6 months before you notice a reduction in your junk mail.
Update your requests every five years or when you move.
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Step 2: Call
Call mail order catalog companies. Most catalogs provide a toll-free number for placing an order; call this number and politely ask for two things:
1) Ask that your address be taken off their mailing list (or ask to be placed on their do-not-mail file).
2) Ask them to stop giving your name and address to other companies.
Note the date and name of the person you speak to (so you can refer to this later if you notice that they don't take any action).
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Tip: Contact specific organizations or businesses. |
Call the customer service department and ask that your name be removed from their mailing list. Or send a written request and include a sample of the mailing label. |
Step 3: Fill Out
This has got to be my favorite. First, check the junkbusters site for the lowdown on US laws on junk mail.
Discover the joys of USPS Form 1500. Under 39 USC 3008 you can have the post office order a junk mailer to stop mailing you anything when you, in your sole discretion, consider anything they have mailed you to be obscene.
So if you feel that junk mail is obscene, fill out Form 1500 from the US postal service!
Download the pdf file here!
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