Five U.S. cities rolled out programs targeting unwanted junk mail today to trim landfill waste and related disposal costs.
Chicago, Berkeley, Calif., Ithaca, N.Y., Kansas City and Salem, Ore., introduced a Mail Preference Service Tuesday, allowing residents to put an end to unsolicited junk mail, such as credit offers, phone books and advertisements.
The annual collection and landfill cost of these mailings and phone books is estimated at up to $10 per household. It may not sound like much, but it can add up when you consider that Chicago has more than 1 million households, while Kansas City boasts approximately 200,000.
The cities are characterizing the program as both a zero waste effort and austerity program. It was designed by Catalog Choice, a nonprofit that hosts a localized website for each city that allows residents to sign up for the program. Cities then receive data on participation rates and environmental impacts.
"We've identified waste reduction as a crucial strategy to meet the goals of our Chicago Climate Action Plan," Suzanne Malec-McKenna, Commissioner of Chicago's Department of Environment, said in a statement. "The Mail Preference Service with Catalog Choice will cut paper waste at the source, and offers an ease of use that we know Chicago citizens and businesses will appreciate."
U.S. residents are subject to more than 100 billion pieces of unsolicited mail each year, according to Catalog Choice. The city of San Francisco recently moved to ban the distribution of phone books unless publishers get residents to opt-in.
Image CC licensed by Flickr user Casey Serin.
Considering the USPS loses
Considering the USPS loses billions annually, it is clear they have a failed business model. It is time for USPS to re-think their purpose which should not be to provide incentives for this outdated and wasteful mode of advertising.
Business Reply Mail
Business Reply Mail Envelope
This weekend I began my own personal junk mail reduction project. I encourage others to try it out with me. Whenever I receive a solicitation that includes a business reply envelope (usually to send a check for a subscription in return, I mail all of their junk mail back. I even fold up the envelope it came in, and send that too.
It's seems little ridiculous that my municipality has to take on the added burden of either 1. recycling 2. or disposing of all that waste paper (and plastic, for the envelopes with windows) because someone is trying to sell me something.
I also include a message where I feel it is appropriate.
actually in some cases the
actually in some cases the Post Office gives many of these companies so much of a discount that when you break down each individual piece of junk mail and the labor required to transport and deliver it, it cost less to mail them than it does to deliver them.
They do this to keep the companies using the USPS for shipping and express mailing which is where they make the most $$$.
Junk-Mail is what makes money
Junk-Mail is what makes money for the Post Office. Without it, they will lay off employees, and raise postage rates.