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Junk Mail

The issue with junk mail

By taking steps to reduce the junk mail that ends up in your letterbox, you are helping to minimise paper wastage and conserve precious water.

Unsolicited advertising material (or junk mail) is advertising material, for a commercial purpose, not addressed by name to an owner or occupier of the premises. Common examples include takeaway food menus, supermarket catalogues, flyers from real estate agents, refrigerator magnets, letters advertising the services of a tradesperson, as well as mail addressed ‘to the householder’ or ‘to the occupier’.

THE PROBLEM

Junk mail doesn’t just create litter on our streets and footpaths – it’s estimated that junk mail in Australia uses 240,000 tonnes of paper every single year. The water required to produce that amount of paper could fill more than 8,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

What can you do?

Stick it Up!

Place a No Advertising Material sticker on your letter box. No Junk Mail stickers are available free of charge from the Distribution Standards Board. Call 1300 083 241 for more information or visit dsb.org.au. Be aware though, that material deemed to be political, educational, religious and charitable is exempt from “No Junk Mail” signed letterboxes.

Complain to the companies involved

If you’re receiving materials despite a NO JUNK MAIL sticker on your letterbox – complain directly to the companies involved. Let them know that the contractors they are employing are bringing their brand into disrepute. Call them, email or post a complaint on their social media page to let them know.

Get Registered

Register your details on the Consumer Do Not Contact Opt Out Service. Including yourself on this list will ensure that you are not contacted by 500 members of the Australian Direct Marketing Association. These members include banks, insurance companies, publishers, catalogue, and mail order companies. Please note this only opts out of ADMA member companies, so may not stop all unwanted promotional mail. If you want to stop receiving mail from a specific business or businesses, then you will need to contact the business directly and advise them to take your name off their mailing list.

Learn more

Report it

Report any junk mail which is littered, delivered in duplicate, or delivered to a letterbox with a No Advertising Material sticker on it. Report offenders to the Distribution Standards Board on 1300 083 241.

Return it

Redirect mail you receive back to the organisation by writing “Return To Sender” and “No Junk Mail” on the envelope and putting it in a mailbox.

Make a digital choice

Register for electronic bills. Most organisations now offer you the option to have bills and statements sent to you via email, rather than printed and mailed manually to your address. You can also register with online catalogue portals or visit retailers own websites to receive catalogues and sale notices online.