Jorma.com

The amount of snail mail I have to filter through everyday has gotten out of control! About 95% of my mail is going into the recycle bin or shredder… what a waste! I have been on a campaign to clear out my mailbox to simply my life, and maybe save a few trees in the process. If this sounds familiar, here are a few tips to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive…

Getting off mailing lists: I started by registering for the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA’s) Mail Preference Service at https://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing . Its costs $1, but this will put your name and home address on a “do-not-mail” file that many of the larger direct marketing companies have to use.

The “do-not-mail” file is updated monthly and distributed four times a year (January, April, July, and October). Your name remains on MPS for five years, after which time you may register again. Typically, you will see the amount of mail you receive begin to decrease approximately three months after your name is entered onto the quarterly file years.

Catalogs: Call the company’s 800 number and have the label handy. So far I have called REI, Crate and Barrel, Restoration hardware… easy.

Credit Bureaus Main Opt-Out Line: Call 888 567-8688. The national credit bureaus offers this toll-free number to enable consumers to opt-out of all pre-approved credit offers. It is an automated voice response system to opt-out of all credit-related offers for two years, or permanently. If you choose to opt out permanently, you will receive an additional form in the mail. If not filled out the lifetime opt-out is reduced to 2 years. Fill it out and opt out of these offers permanently. Using this service will remove you from all pre-approved credit-related mail or phone offers coming from the credit bureau lists.

Experian Consumer Services: Call 402 458-5247 to remove your name from non-credit offers coming from Experian (telemarketing and junk mail) lists.

AOL (America On-Line): No more free discs! Call 1-800-605-4297

ADVO: Big clump of crap mail that comes with pictures of missing children, $5 pepperoni pizzas, safeway foldouts… the worst of the worst. Call 1-888-241-6760 to get off the list, or fill out and send them this form.
Val-Pak Coupons: No more random coupons! Simply fill out the form at http://www.coxtarget.com/mailsuppression/s/DisplayMailSuppressionForm

List Brokers: These companies sell mailing lists to businesses and organizations. Write all of them and request that your name be removed from all their mailing and telemarketing lists.

Dunn & Bradstreet
Customer Service
899 Eaton Ave.
Bethlehem, PA 18025

Metromail Corporation
List Maintenance
901 West Bond
Lincoln, NE 68521

R.L. Polk & Co. - Name Deletion File
List Compilation Development
26955 Northwestern Hwy
Southfield, MI 48034-4716

Database America
Compilation Department
470 Chestnut Ridge Road
Woodcliff, NJ 07677

Bills: Most large companies offer the ability to go “paperless”. I opted to do this with all my bills instead of receiving monthly statements. Much easier to track all that stuff online anyway.