It seems like a never ending stream of catalogs and advertisements coming into our mailbox. If we want to save natural resources and reduce waste, how do we get rid of unwanted mail? We each use approximately 750 pounds of paper each year and the amount of energy to make, transport and dispose of this paper is significant. To reduce paper in the office; we print on both sides, widen our margins, only print when we must and recycle as much as we can. Then we open the mailbox and are faced with a flood of paper in the form of catalogs, advertising, and product offers. Here is some information that is helpful: Federal Trade Commission Consumer Protection. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt063.shtm

The Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Mail Preference Service has a website that walks you through the options to opt out of receiving unsolicited commercial mail from many national companies. Once you have filled out the forms and selected your preferences it will reduce the selected mail for five years. When you register with this service, your name will be put on a “delete” file and made available to direct-mail marketers. However, your registration will not stop mailings from organizations that do not use the DMA’s Mail Preference Service. To register with DMA’s Mail Preference Service, go to www.dmachoice.org.

Additional Resource: EPA Paper Use – http://www.epa.gov/region1/green/paperuse.html

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