to think that if we start sending junk mail back, the senders will get the message?

[monkeypuzzeltree]

I've had enough of the junk mail coming through my door, its just another thing to tidy, frankly I don't have the time and I just hate the waste.

This morning royal mail stuffed a whole bunch of mail through the door, about 8 leaflets. Its just irritating me, since it is not actually addressed mail, just leaflets, I can't "return to sender", so I'm thinking I might start putting it back in the post box, anyone joining me?!

I'm in.

I do that!

Yes, that never occurred to me but I'm in too!

I think you can opt out of Royal Mail junk but I don't know how . Our postie also delivers charity bags.

I have started to return anything unsolicited, postie said to me other day, has someone moved, we are getting a lot of returned mail ... I did have brief guilt over charity mailings but pffft ...

Bloody good idea! Op, do you go so far as to stick the shite in an envelope and post it? So you stick a stamp on it?

Great idea - definitely in!

It's all the extra bits of paper in with things I do want or have to read that drive me nuts.
Charity leaflets in with New scientist, loose bits in other magazines, special offer supplements and loose order forms in tool catalogues, all manner of crap in with the book people, loose address sheets to shred and reply enveloped even if it's always paid on line.
Arms full of stupid little bits of paper

If you work in office print off sheets of labels saying
Return to sender unsolicited mail remove from mailing list

Stick on all offending items and into the pillar box with them.
This works too!

Startail these generate huge amounts if advertising revenue !
You can't stop those!

Fill reply paid envelopes up with rocks. Tape shut firmly. Post.

In the bath. Open new pristine magazine. A million leaflets fall into the bath. I always forget to check!

A lot of the post is not actually in an envelope it is just furniture company leaflets, windows, charities, that sort of thing, so I am just putting it back in the mail box loose - it will just annoy royal mail who are making money out of delivering it. Instead, they will waste time sorting it out of the mail.

If they didn't spend so much time delivering junk they might actually have time to make the service more efficient!

Fill reply paid envelopes up with rocks. Tape shut firmly. Post.

DD will have lots of fun collecting stones in the park, thanks, that will give her something new to do!

yeah send rocks through the post - how adult

what do you do about leaflet droppers?

YABU

If everyone threw the leaflets away and didn't respond, the advertisers wouldn't bother printing them. They print them because they work and they get some response from them. Of course they will never be relevant to everyone but can't you just put them in your recycling bin? You never know, if you actually look at them something may be of interest to you...

(runs away)

Since 2 or 3 % is the average response rate to "dropped mail" I don't think it is fair on the 97% of us that are not interested in it. Companies can spend more on marketing and better identify their potential customers. drop mail is lazy marketing.

Catnet - Leaflet droppers - I use a cattleprod through the letterbox, treat it as sport because I am desperately mature.

Can anything be done to stop the charity bags? 5 in a week is a bit OTT. I have my 'no salesmen' sign will have to add 'charity bags' at the bottom.

Well companies aren't going to spend more money on marketing just so they don't annoy the people who weren't going to respond anyway, it's not being lazy!

You must have responded to a leaflet at some point in your lives! Takeaway menu anyone? :)

All you have to do is buy one of those NO JUNK MAIL PLEASE signs with the adhesive backing and stick it on your letterbox/postbox and never receive it again!

They're only a couple of quid in hardware shops. One of the best things I ever bought.

It is lazy and wasteful because if you have a more targeted approach then you will get a better response rate. Of course you're going to send it to some who are not interested but not 97%. Spend the money on refining the list, not just mass printing.

Scarlett - I did, 2 years ago, it may as well say, "please deliver double here" has absolutely no impact.

Try this site. And leave charity bags on your doorstep - if you check they're often not actually for charities but for companies that promise to make eg a charitable donation for every ton of clothing collected.

I did it when I moved into my house.

Hardly get any junk mail now, can go for days without any letters.

I've never read an item of junk mail / pizza / take-away flyer in my life.

Ooh mildly a 'junkmail widget' . I will give it a go.