Refusing USPS Junk Mail
For many years I have been annoyed with junk mail, but recently I decided to do something about it. I hope others join me in this, because it is something where if enough of us do it then we can see a positive change.
First, you should know that it is absolutely your right to refuse unsolicited mail. Just like when mail is addressed to a previous tenant, you just mark the mail piece and use the standard return method like leaving it in your mailbox with the flag up, or whatever.
Side note: if you are getting mail addressed to a previous tenant, you should write “not at this address” on the mail piece. That is the specific text that lets the postal carrier know that the mail has been misdelivered.
Here are a few links to official U.S.P.S. pages that show this:
- Refuse unwanted mail and remove name from mailing lists
- DMM Section 508: Recipient Services
- DMM Section 507: Mailer Services
Those last two are direct links into the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), which is the manual for postal workers.
So, all you need to do is mark any unsolicited mail you don’t want with “refused”.
Why?
I see no reason why I should have to throw away trash that others have sent to me. That’s an additional expense for me (trash collection is not free!) as well as additional labor. It would be great if I could charge the senders handling fees, but that’s pretty unrealistic. On the other hand, mail that does eventually get back to the sender will let them know that sending it to me is at best an unneeded expense, and likely makes me less desiring of their product or service. And for the stuff that doesn’t get sent back, at least the post office is likely recycling it properly.
But if enough people start actively refusing this trash, it just might end. Sure, in the mean time it means a little more work for the carriers, but they have to bring it to us in the first place, which is also extra work for them.
Plus, in this day and age, physical mail is mostly outdated and unnecessary. Most communications should be electronic, and physical mail should be reserved for things that are actually physical.
As far as the argument that unsolicited bulk mail is needed for the postal service to survive, I don’t buy that as a valid excuse. For one, there really isn’t much need for a postal service anymore. Most physical mail could be handled by free market services such as UPS and FedEx — if they were allowed to. But secondly, I think the USPS could stand to be downsized, and I’m sure it could find ways to survive if it had to. Do you really get daily mail that matters? Couldn’t a MWF delivery schedule satisfy your actual mail needs?
So yeah, it might take an act of Congress to get this changed, but the impetus has to start somewhere. If enough people make enough of a ruckus, it can happen.
Informed Delivery
Finally, you can sign up for the Informed Delivery service. This sends you one email each morning that shows you pictures of the mail you should be receiving that day. This is great for those of us who have an inconveniently located mailbox, and it also alerts you to incoming mail that you might actually want. It also can be used to verify that the carrier isn’t skipping your place or stealing your mail.