Why Junk Mail Drives Me Nuts (And Why It Should Bug You Too)
One of my biggest pet peeves is junk mail.
According to the EPA, the average American household receives around 40 pounds of junk mail every year. It’s such a waste of resources — trees, ink, energy, emissions from delivery trucks, and then more energy to recycle it (or worse, it ends up in the landfill). And all of that for something most of us toss straight into the recycling bin without a second glance.
As a former small business owner, I get the need to market your business. Visibility matters. But as a lover of planet Earth, in my opinion: mass mailers, oversized catalogs (!), flyers, and promo postcards are not it.
Junk mail is clutter; physical, mental and environmental all rolled into one big wasteful bow.
The good news? Whether or not decluttering is part of your new year resolutions, you can dramatically slow the flow with a few simple, high-impact actions.
How to Stop Junk Mail (Without Losing Your Mind)
1. Catalog Mailers (My Least Favorite)
These are the big, glossy, phone-book-style catalogs that somehow show up even when you’ve never purchased a thing from the brand (what do I really need from U-line?). They use so. much. paper.
My go-to move: email the company directly and ask to be removed from their mailing list. It’s surprisingly effective and they almost always respond with a kind message.
Here’s the exact verbiage I use — feel free to copy and paste:
Subject: Remove Address from Catalog Mailing List
Hi there,
Can you please remove our address from your catalog mailer? We are on a mission to help save the planet and reduce paper waste (and more!).
[Insert name + address]
Thanks so much!
📌 Pro tip:
Use the exact name formatting on the label (including initials or middle names). Mailing lists are picky, so this increases your success rate.
2. The “Big List” Opt-Out
If you want to reduce junk mail at the source, this is your biggest bang for your buck.
You can opt out of marketing mail lists through DMAchoice, which allows you to:
Reduce national advertising mail
Opt out of entire categories (credit offers, catalogs, magazine promos)
Set a time limit (10 years or permanently)
It costs $6, and their website is a bit slow, but you can list multiple names and addresses in one submission. It’s not perfect, but it significantly cuts volume.
3. Credit Card & Insurance Offers
Those “pre-approved” credit card and insurance offers? You can stop them too.
Head to OptOutPrescreen.com and opt out for:
5 years (online) <- takes 2 minutes!
Permanently (mail-in confirmation) <- lame, but worth it if you’re in your forever home.
The Bigger Picture AKA Why This Matters
Stopping junk mail won’t save the planet on its own, but it’s a quiet, meaningful win:
Less paper demand
Fewer delivery emissions
Less recycling + landfill processing
Less daily friction in your life
It’s one of those small actions that reduces waste AND mental noise. And honestly? Opening your mailbox and finding only what you actually want feels oddly satisfying.
TL;DR: Start Here
If you only do three things 📬✂️:
Email catalog companies directly
Opt out via DMAchoice
Opt out via OptOutPrescreen
With less junk mail and lots of love,
Ali