Stop junk mail from trashing our planet

The average American adult gets about 41 pounds of junk mail per year. That harms the environment, and costs you time and money. But there are easy ways to keep your mailbox clean and help stop the waste.

It costs the environment

Each year, the production and disposal of junk mail destroys 100 million trees and uses 28 billion gallons of water. And it’s tough on the climate; while it decimates trees that absorb climate-damaging CO2, it also produces more CO2 than 9 million cars.

It costs you

Junk mail takes money out of your pocket. Taxpayers spend hundreds of millions per year on junk mail collection and disposal. Of course, dealing with junk mail is also aggravating and time-consuming; experts say we’ll each spend eight months of our lives doing it.

Get off the junk

With the info provided at Ecocycle.org, plus a little legwork, you can tell the companies sending you all that junk to cut it out. Or you can pay a service to do the telling for you.

For a fee of $41*, 41pounds.org will reduce your junk mail by 80 to 95% for five years, or they'll refund your money. They’ll also donate a portion of that fee to an environmental group of your choice. So get off the junk, and keep that mailbox clean.

Sources: New American Dream, Ecocycle.org, 41pounds.org