Are you bothered by junk mail?
Many people are increasingly fed up with the amount of junk mail whether addressed or unaddressed that comes in daily through their letter box. Nationally, the British public receives around half a million tonnes of junk mail every year according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, though Recycle Now believe that this figure is closer to one million tonnes. Much of this is thrown away and ends up in landfill.
In response, Brighton and Hove Green Party has launched a campaign to help people reduce the volume of junk mail. This page has useful information on what you can do.
The Green Party is giving away free anti-junk mail stickers (pictured) to post on or near letter box flaps. If you would like one please call our office on 01273 766670 or email junkmail@brightonandhovegreenparty.org.uk
We would like to hear about the junk mail you receive. Please go here to report junk mail to us.
What you can do to cut junk mail
To reduce the amount of addressed junk mail you can write to the Mailing Preference Service (MPS) ask them to remove you from any mailing lists they have.
You can also request removal from their mailing lists from their website: www.mpsonline.org.uk
MPS Registration Line 0845 703 4599
Email: mps@dma.org.uk
Address:
FREEPOST 29
LON20771
London
W1E 0ZT
You should allow between two and four months for this service to come into effect.
Unaddressed Royal Mail material
To prevent unaddressed Royal Mail-delivered junk mail write to:
Royal Mail Helpline
Beaumont House
Sandy Lane West
Oxford
OX4 6ZZ
Or write to:
Royal Mail Door-to-Door Opt Out Dept.
Room 130
Wheatstone House
Faraday Rd
Swindon
SN3 5JW
Call 01793 483 853
Email: mediacentre.customer.service@royalmail.co.uk
But what about the rest of the it?
Many junk deliverers are not members of the Direct Marketing Association and do not use the Royal Mail so it is difficult to stop unless you contact the organisations direct. The junk mail sticker may help and will allow you to challenge deliverers should they ignore it.
Useful links
- Mailing Preference Service
- junk-mail.org.uk - A campaign website with lots of useful information.
- Recycle Now's Junk Mail page - Another very informative site about junk mail and wider recycling issues.
- Direct Marketing Association - Website of the Direct Marketing Association who represent the industry.
- Website of the Office of the Information Commissioner, the Government agency that regulates direct marketing.
Brighton & Hove Green Party press releases about junk mail:
- Greens move to end city's 'junk mail misery' (22/1/2004)
- Green blitz on hand-delivered junk mail in central Brighton after census fears (20/2/2003)
Junk mail - how big a problem is it?
Whatever the cause of unsolicited mail, it is an important means for businesses and even the local Council to reach their 'customers' and many consumers benefit from access to information of which they would not otherwise have been aware.
Junk mail is a significant and often unwelcome element of the household waste stream. It is also a growing phenomenon. The number of items sent to consumers in the UK doubled from 1.5 billion to 3.3 billion between 1990 and 1999. About 21 billion items (550,000 tonnes) of junk mail are sent out every year in the UK (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).
Unsolicited mail comes in various forms including 'direct mail' (advertising messages individually addressed), door-to-door unaddressed advertisements posted by hand, inserts (e.g. advertising material in newspapers) and unaddressed regional mailings delivered by the Royal Mail and other mass delivery services. Unaddressed mailings are a popular channel used by large retailers - especially supermarket chains.
Greens believe the volume of such mail is now becoming a significant problem, especially in central Brighton where there are large numbers of multiple occupancy dwellings sharing a single letter box. In these situations there is a temptation to deliver more items than there are dwellings to ensure full coverage.
How wasteful is junk mail?
It is estimated by Brighton and Hove City Council that less than one percent of the local domestic waste stream is caused by junk mail. However that still works out at 1,000 tonnes of domestic refuse a year. Nationally, only about 13 percent of direct mail (only one type of junk mail) is recycled although the Government has set higher targets with the Direct Marketing Association.
Other problems
Concerns about junk mail are not limited to the quantity of waste. There is a significant 'nuisance' factor in receiving high volumes of unsolicited mail especially when the junk mailings are mixed in with 'bona fide' post with the risk that important postal items are mistakenly thrown away.
Brighton & Hove has one of the highest numbers of people living alone in the country according to the 2001 census data which makes the city a very attractive target for commercial mailings as it is one indicator of affluence and consumer spending power.
The city ranks eighth out of 376 Council areas in the UK for single person households. (Brighton & Hove City Council Press Release Feb 13th 2003).
With the new census results, it is possible that direct marketing companies will target post codes in central Brighton even more aggressively.
Report Junk Mail
Please complete the form below to send details of your junk mail to us. Alternatively, if you would prefer to e-mail us this information please send an e-mail to the following address: junkmail@brightonandhovegreenparty.org.uk
