To think junk mail should be banned.

[Stormwhale]

We receive so much junk mail in the post, far more than our actual letters. All of it goes straight in the recycling or more annoyingly in the normal bin if it isn't recyclable. It is so unnecessary in this day and age, and so wasteful. None of it is addressed to us, so its not from us using their services, just random.

In a world where we are destroying our planet, it seems such a wasteful thing to do. I would like to see it banned. Aibu?

Presumably just from the unaddressed leaflets? Otherwise, how could they know without opening the addressed stuff - companies are hardly going to label it 'junk mail' on the front, are they?!

Correct. If it is addressed to you, you need to opt out of that particular company's marketing.

I've been opting out for years but it's really annoying that I have to keep renewing my opt out forms every few years. It should be opt in not opt out.

I also chase up any addressed junk Mail with whoever sent it. I've opened mail from previous occupiers if I've previously sent Mail back to the sender.

I do the opt out forms for all my family at the same time (about six households)

If it has our address on I put it back in the postbox with 'please remove us from your mailing list' that has stopped some

We have opted out with Royal Mail too

It's junk mail that keeps the cost of postage down to the public.

YABU.

I agree that junk mail is annoying.

However I understand that Royal Mail makes a lot of money from it. My concern about banning it would be that if Royal Mail lost that revenue stream they would have to cut costs, particularly as there is less proper post now with so much stuff being online. That might mean you having far fewer deliveries than you do now, meaning that you only get proper post but you might only get it once a week. Personally I would rather put up with the junk mail and know that I’m getting my proper post as soon as possible.

@cortex10

It's possible to opt out with Royal Mail which helps a bit in my experience personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/293/~/how-do-i-opt-out-of-receiving-any-leaflets-or-unaddressed-promotional-material%3F My pet hate is magazines that are stuffed with unnecessary ' bumf' that goes straight into the recycling bin even where the organisation is supposedly committed to the protecting the environment (National Trust and Gardeners World to name two)

Thank you for posting this I have just posted it on fb hoping it will generate a few people doing it

I work for a printing firm. Some of our work is printing junk mail. Don't ditch the junk mail....I need this job.

@JuergenSchwarzwald

Great idea, given that's it's a massive revenue stream for them

yes I do know that. Sigh. What is it with everyone taking everything literally on MN this week.

Sorry I didn't realise that you didn't literally post that

DH is a postie. He HAS to deliver junk mail,because RM have been paid by corporations etc to deliver it. Posties don't get anything extra for delivering it. You can put your signs up but it will be ignored. These contracts are important to RM.

DH gets a penny per item when delivering election materials like mail shots etc but that's about it.

He says it's very dispiriting to deliver this nonsense only to see it in people's recycling bins the next day.

At least OP you have recycling bins. Barnet Council have taken mine away. I'm expected to take a transparent plastic bag and dump it in a neighbouring street.

Absolutely. It's annoying, unnecessary and unsolicited and the environmental impact must be huge.

Time for it to go.

We signed up to all the ‘no junk mail’ services we could find, AND we have a signstuck over the letter box “no junk mail please.”

Still it comes, every day, it isn’t addressed to us just random leaflets for new windows etc.

What REALLY annoys me is that our postman delivers a lot of it, when I catch him at it he looks embarrassed and flees. It’s obviously some kind if “do two jobs at the same time” gig

We signed up to all the ‘no junk mail’ services we could find, AND we have a signstuck over the letter box “no junk mail please.”

Still it comes, every day, it isn’t addressed to us just random leaflets for new windows etc.

What REALLY annoys me is that our postman delivers a lot of it, when I catch him at it he looks embarrassed and flees. It’s obviously some kind if “do two jobs at the same time” gig

The thing is, though, that however much it clearly is, most people won't classify their own 'valuable promotional material' as junk mail, so they will assume it doesn't apply to them!

As for the postman, it's the same as the shop assistants who hassle you to ask if you want a pen/chocolate bar/bottle of water/ at the till - or, worse, badger you to sign up for a store card. Yes, they're sheepish, because they know you don't want it. They don't want to do it - but if they don't do it, they will simply lose their job.

@Thirtytimesround

We signed up to all the ‘no junk mail’ services we could find, AND we have a signstuck over the letter box “no junk mail please.”

Still it comes, every day, it isn’t addressed to us just random leaflets for new windows etc.

What REALLY annoys me is that our postman delivers a lot of it, when I catch him at it he looks embarrassed and flees. It’s obviously some kind if “do two jobs at the same time” gig

It isn't!

Posties don't get to pick and choose what they deliver. It's illegal for them not to deliver the mail.

personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/293/~/how-do-i-opt-out-of-receiving-any-leaflets-or-unaddressed-promotional-material%3F

I signed up over twenty years ago and I only get bills, statements and personal letters. It does work!

I stick £10 in my posties Xmas card and never, ever get junk mail.

I opted out but got a handful of stuff through the door the other day.
A postman I know said that they would lose jobs if this stuff wasn’t posted.