Stopping junk mail

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat or gloom" prevent U.S. mail carriers from delivering roughly 213 billion pieces of mail every year, according to the Today show. However, a quick glance in your mailbox should give you an idea of how much of that mail is plain old junk: advertising, credit card offers, catalogs, brochures, coupons, and a hundred other things we never request or read. So in the spirit of a fresh new start, I'm setting out to give my mailbox a lighter load by banishing unwanted junk mail.

Direct marketing offers (which aim to pair you with a product or service you're likely to purchase) are typically the result of other purchases you've made, says PrivacyRights.org. Examples include buying a car or house, applying for a credit card, subscribing to a magazine, signing up for a store loyalty card, or registering a product, they explain.

Financial offers

Credit card and insurance offers claiming you're "PRE-APPROVED!" (lucky you) are typically the result of a loan or credit card you've applied for in the past. After opening a credit card or loan, the Consumer Credit Reporting Companies may then share your credit information with other creditors and insurers who proceed to bombard your mailbox with offers. Fortunately, there's an opt-out option. In my research, several well-respected resources, including the FTC, direct consumers to OptOutPrescreen.com, the Consumer Credit Reporting Companies' own site where consumers can opt out of offers for five year (electronically) or permanently (by mail).

As someone with exactly one credit card (which I did not select based on mailings to my home, for the record), I knew it was time to test this service and it was a breeze to use -- though it was a little unnerving that it requested my social security number. I could have individually contacted every sender, but this was much less time consuming, and now I won't have to deal with it again for five years. To avoid sharing your SSN online (though OptOutPrescreen says it will encrypt it), go for the mail-in option. Or if you do submit online, do so from a secured home internet connection--not Starbucks or the library. The best part is I didn't have to create an account to opt-out. I simply filled out and submitted the form, and if I ever want to opt back in (ha!) or opt-out again in five years (far more likely), I'll just fill out the same form again--no emails, log-ins, or accounts to track. Now I just have to wait the three months it may take to stop receiving offers...

Catalogs and ads

For me, catalogs and ads are a mix of pure garbage (someone please explain why my father, who's never even been to my apartment, receives Pottery Barn catalogs and coupons at my address) and things I might actually be interested in. (I've been known to browse a J. Crew catalog or two and often redeem those Bed, Bath & Beyond coupons.) The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) explains there are two categories of mail recipients: prospects and customers. Prospects are people they guess may be interested in a certain offer (hint: my dad has no interest in Pottery Barn), while customers are people who've actually purchased from the sender before (explains the J. Crew mailings...).

The DMA offers a quick and easy way to stop receiving catalogs and ads from all their members who view you as a prospect. (DMA members account for about 80 percent of the country's marketing mail.) Simply head to DMAChoice.org, create an account and go to "Manage My Mail." Within the sections, "Catalogs," "Magazine Offers," and "Other Mail Offers," scroll to the bottom and click to stop receiving all offers. However, this will only remove you from mailings as a prospect, not a customer. To stop receiving mail from companies you've actually purchased from, you'll need to contact them individually. DMA Choice does list contact info for all of its members, making it easy to opt out of each, though. The problem is, I'll have to stockpile my junk mail for at least a month, rack my brain to recall which ones I've purchased from, and then unsubscribe from each individually. And even then, there'd be the remaining 20 percent of direct mail offers not from DMA. It's less than convenient, but for the environment's sake, I'll do it. Now I'll just twiddle my thumbs until I have my pile of mail to unsubscribe from--of course, there's always this naughty "Postage Paid" option, too.

Top offenders

Here are a few of the direct mailers we see most often. We've gathered their unsubscribe contact info right here for your convenience.

To find contact info for other companies, visit their website and find the privacy policy. Opt-out info is typically listed under a heading like, "using information we collect."