‘Stop junk mail’ campaign hits 55,000 households
Almost a quarter of all households in Warwickshire have signed up to a campaign to stop junk mail being delivered to their homes.
Warwickshire Waste Partnership’s campaign to stop the junk mail has hit an all time high with new figures revealing that 55,000 households are signed up.
Since last October more than 17,000 new households have joined the campaign. The Waste Partnership teamed up with Mail Preference Service to market people’s right not to receive unwanted Direct Mail through the letterbox.
According to the Post Office, the average adult in the UK receives 4kg of unwanted mail each year. With more than 226,000 households in Warwickshire, if every household receives just one unwanted piece of Direct Mail a day that’s approximately six million pieces of wasted paper per month - and 90% of all junk mail goes straight in the bin.
This means there is 1,800 tonnes of rubbish going into our waste stream, which would cost the county tax payers £59,400 per year to dispose of, a cost of 26p for every households just dispose of this material.
Cllr Martin Heatley, Portfolio Holder for the Environment at Warwickshire County Council and the Waste Partnership Chair, said: “This campaign is really making an impact. Unwanted, unread junk mail has no place in anyone’s home.
“If residents are not interested in receiving it, they can easily stop it, and it’s a free and effective way of getting rid of your unwanted junk mail, as well as supporting the reduction in waste within the county.
“Until last year, we saw the amounts of household waste increasing. This is one way you can get shot of your junk mail and make a difference to the environment, and help your council to cut costs to Council Tax payers.”
The Mailing Preference Service can remove someone’s name from up to 95% of Direct Mail lists OR have their name added to them. They should see a noticeable difference in the post they receive after a few months.
Residents can make a difference in the amount of rubbish generated within the county by registering with the Mailing Preference Service. If they would like to register now, they can write to “Mailing Preference Service, FREEPOST 29 (LON20771), London, W1E 0ZT” or simply gone on line to register through http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/wastewise or they can also register directly on-line via the MPS website, http://www.mpsonline.org.uk
To get the post you want, register now and help to reduce our rubbish pile.