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A Renegade Solution to Junk Mail
Originally Posted on LeftFair.com
More than 100 Trillion pieces of Junk Mail (an average of almost A Thousand Pieces per Household) are sent per year. Junk Mail consumes more than 6.5 million tons of paper (or 100 million trees) annually per year, and the average American will waste 8 months of their lives having to deal with it.
89% of Americans would like to not receive junk mail, and 44% never even open it. Despite this, the United States Postal Service has, through intense lobbying, squashed the numerous attempts to allow Americans to "Opt Out" of receiving junk mail. Since 2007, none of the 19 States that have suggested "Do Not Mail" legislation has been able to pass a law protecting Americans against Junk Mail.
Why is the Post Office opposed to "Do Not Mail" legislation? Because junk mail is Americans' problem, not the United States Postal Service's. In fact, Junk Mail makes up more than 50 percent of the mail they deliver and earns them more than 30 Million Dollars a year.
HERE IS A SIMPLE, 2-STEP SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF JUNK MAIL THAT INVOLVES ONLY A BLACK MARKER:
Step 1) When you get junk mail, write RETURN TO SENDER in big letters across the top.
Step 2) Postal Workers hate having to return junk mail, and they will attempt to re-deliver it to you. Thwart their attempts to re-deliver it to you by crossing out your address with a black marker and placing your junk mail in a blue mailbox.
As your junk mail is now undeliverable to everybody except the people who sent it to you, The United States Postal Service will have no legal option but to either properly dispose of your junk mail for you or return it to the sender at their own expense.
This solution to the Junk Mail makes the Postal Service earn its 30 Million Dollars and makes Junk Mail their problem, not ours.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (13)
at 15:18 on November 5th, 2008
Interesting idea!
at 15:42 on November 5th, 2008
Thanks. They hate me... when, on occasion, they do manage to find my address, they write nasty comments all over my mail.
at 18:18 on November 5th, 2008
LeftFair.com, I like this story. It's good stuff. I like this idea because I have actually done it before. I need to start doing it again : )
at 18:33 on November 5th, 2008
LeftFair.com, I like this story. It's good stuff.
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bob2008at 20:38 on November 5th, 2008
"The Junk Mail" is the 161st episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. It was the 5th episode of the 9th and final season. The episode aired on October 30, 1997.
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Bob
Best DUI
at 21:05 on November 5th, 2008
LeftFair.com, I like this story. It's good stuff. 100 million trees, that doesn't even make sense, does it? Like my daughter says, don't send it in the mail, save a tree! And marking "return to sender" is a great idea as well! Maybe they'll get the hint, eventually.
at 21:48 on November 5th, 2008
LeftFair.com, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 08:58 on November 6th, 2008
LeftFair.com, I like this story. It's good stuff.
Out standing Idea... Maybe one could do the things suggested and then glue it to a brick.
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DougTheSuper (not verified)at 17:12 on November 6th, 2008
Better YET!
Open your junk mail, and firmly affix the "Business Reply:Prepaid Postage" envelope they sent you to a box full of rocks and send it back. They then have to pay for it at about $.20 per ounce.
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Saving Resources NOWat 17:39 on November 6th, 2008
Great story,
The more people ACT and not IGNORE the problem, the greater the chance that something positive will be done to STOP the WASTE.
Every single household can do SOMETHING
Tell all your friends too ;-)
Think of our future, our kids, our planet - this is our problem and together we can all do something
ACTIONS speak louder than words
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AmyConnemara (not verified)at 17:57 on February 27th, 2009
Actually, junk mail isn't returned to sender, it's thrown away if you do that. Those junk mailers send it lower than first class, and one of the things you give up by not paying the premium price is that return delivery is not included.
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Uncle B (not verified)at 04:17 on March 6th, 2009
I compost my junk mail and really need it for my garden! We must mandate that they use veggie based inks for my sake! It is sad to see trees being cut down, green house effect increasing, and posties working hard, for the capitalist, for almost free, and uncontrolled. Americans live a slothful and wasteful lifestyle, but they are forced to do so by corporate interests, which have more political clout with stockholders votes than we have with our political votes. Funny, in the land of the free, the shareholder's vote counts the most!
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BBBBB (not verified)at 20:21 on March 26th, 2009
If you want to get back at junk mailers use the return envelopes to send them pennies or something. This plan only hurts the USPS, which is paid for by taxpayers.