Too Much Paper? Start at the Source

Paper clutter is a major hurdle to cross when getting organized. It could be seen as a necessary evil in some cases, but definitely not in the case of junk mail! Junk mail can quickly clutter up your mailbox, and eventually your home, if not taken care of and recycled immediately.

But why not limit the daily junk mail you receive and stop the paper clutter from coming into your home altogether. Less paper coming into your home is a win-win; reducing clutter and potentially even saving a few trees.

Here are 3 websites that stop junk mail right at the source:

via Charles Williams

To stop unwanted catalogs

CatalogChoice.org is a free service that will stop unwanted catalogs from being mailed to you. They describe themselves as “a non-profit and will never sell or rent your email address.” I signed up with Catalog Choice almost 4 years ago and have been very happy with the decrease in catalogs we receive.

On the site, you individually select the catalogs you no longer wish to receive. It helps to have the catalog you want to block on hand, since you are asked for your account/customer number and source code. These numbers are usually found right on the back of the catalog. Here is a video from The Today Show that explains the process even further.

This process takes some time, especially if you have quite a few to enter. But what I like about this process is that you can specifically select the catalogs you enjoy flipping through and get rid of the rest. You can also restart any catalog if you ever change your mind.

This site also has a new mail stop feature, which is not free. For $6, you return an envelope with 15 pieces of junk mail you would like to stop receiving and they do the entire opt-out process for you. The site also features a year-long subscription for $20. Sounds like a good deal, but I also recommend trying out the free options below. Once you’ve tried these sites, if you still have a few stragglers of junk mail, $6 would be well worth it to have them do that final work for you.

To stop credit card offers

Visit optoutprescreen.com. This one site will opt you out of the major consumer reporting companies. You are asked to give your address, any former addresses within the last two years, home telephone number, social security number, and date of birth. If you are apprehensive about entering that much information, the FTC assures, “The information you provide is confidential and will be used only to process your request to opt out.” You can also call directly at 1-888-5-OPT-OUT to opt out.

The online form opts you out of credit offers for 5 years. If you would like to opt out permanently, you can start the process online, but must return a signed form by mail.

To stop direct mail solicitations

To reduce junk mail even further, The Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Mail Preference Service (MPS) lets you opt out for three years from credit offers, catalogs, magazine offers, donation requests, retail promotions, and bank offers, but only from the companies they represent, which is nearly 3,600 companies in all. Check out www.dmachoice.org to register online or by mail with a $1 processing fee.

This site is run by the Direct Marketing Association and I appreciated that their privacy policy clearly states, “we will not use—or allow others to use—the information you provide on this site for marketing purposes. Your information is only used to fulfill your specific mail preferences.”

DMA is the only service of the three I’ve listed that I haven’t used personally. For even more info and to see if it is right for you, check out the faq’s page. While these sites will rid you of a lot of unwanted junk mail, you could still receive some stragglers. I’ve found enough decrease in my mail with the first 2 services I listed, to make the time invested well worth it.

For a similar site in Canada check out, CMA’s Do Not Contact Service, and Mailing Preference Service in the UK.

 via Northern Pixels

To keep your address off of new sites, consider this tip:

Whenever you donate money, order a product or service, or fill out a warranty card, write in large letters, “Please do not sell my name or address“. Most organizations will properly mark your name in the computer.

–Obviously

What have you done to reduce your junk mail? Have you opted out with any of these services? What has been your experience?

sources- Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Reports, The Consumerist,