I don't know about you but I typically proceed straight from the mailbox to the recycling bin, where I deposit 90 to 100% of the day's take. What a waste of paper, ink, and energy (industrial, vehicular, and human -- I'm thinking of the beleaguered mail carrier, especially at this time of year). Catalogs are the worst offenders, of course. I never look at them since if I need to buy something, I can just browse for it online.So when I read about Catalog Choice recently, I signed up right away. It's a service, run by several environmental groups and nonprofits, that helps me get my name off the mailing list for all those unwanted catalogs. I created an account (just a login and password) and entered my mailing address. Now, after I collect my snail mail, I make a quick detour past my computer en route to the recycling bin. For each catalog I received that day, I find it on Catalog Choice's alphabetical listing, confirm the name and address on the label, and enter in the customer number (also from the label). Click "Submit," and Catalog Choice will do the rest. If I get a catalog that's not in the database, I can suggest that it be added.
It'll take quite a while to reduce the load levels in my mailbox. Since I need to have the catalog in front of me in order to remove myself from its list (so I can match up my name, address, and customer number exactly), I have to wait until each one comes to reject it. Then, it takes another 10 weeks for the change to take effect. But I'm pleased to be taking action. A few months from now, I'm sure my mail carrier (not to mention good old Mother Earth) will appreciate it.
4 comments:
I am so happy to have discovered Catalog Choice. I do the same thing that you described now -- I hope to have a lot less waste sometime in the nearish future.
Hey! I'm hoping it works, because I'm so tired of all the junk mail. Especially galling are the multiples - two catalogues on one day, one for me and one for my husband.
I wish I had read this three days ago when I got some catalog meant for Wiccans. I need to sign up for this real bad.
Gidday,
Don't forget you also receive postal junk mail from other direct mail companies such as banks, credit card companies, airlines, insurance companies, magazines, newspapers, non-profits and many other companies you are affiliated with in some way. In fact if you order a magazine you are immediately adding your name to a publishers mailing list ,and someone like Conde Nast has over 30 publications. Have you thought about who else may share or sell your private information over and over again? Catalogs are but just a small piece of this puzzle.
At stopthejunkmail.com we handle all of these titles individually. So if you want to still get Vogue magazine but not Golf Digest you can select these by title from our enhanced list of direct mail publications. Similarly LL Bean has some 15 catalog titles depending upon the season and Lands End about 8 titles, our members can select to receive LL Bean Kids, but not LL Bean Home for instance.
Cheerio,
Margot
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