Freedom of Choice to Reject Unadressed Junk Mail Bad for the Environment, Our Privacy & Security

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Currently there is no way to reject un-addressed bulk mail from your residence or business. This is bad for the environment because we are forced to accept printed or even sometimes manufactured (plastic cards & keys) material we didn't ask for that we have to dispose of. Many don't have curb-side recycling options. This is also bad for our privacy and security to receive unsolicited credit card offers, etc. Yes there is DMAchoice.org, but that is unable to stop "un-addressed" junk mail. The primary purpose of un-addressed junk mail is for the post office and it's clients to make money at the expense of the enviornment and our privacy / security. That is totally irresponsible, unacceptable and unethical. 

In the US, 44% of junk mail is discarded without being opened or read, equalling four million tons of waste paper per year, with 32% recovered for recycling. 250,000 homes could be heated for a single day’s junk mail (70,000,000,000,000/3 btus of energy or 28,870,000,000/21 kwh of energy).

The CO2 emissions from 41 pounds of advertising mail received annually by the average US consumer is about 47.6 kilograms (105 pounds) according to one study. The loss of natural habitat potential from the 41 pounds of advertising mail is estimated to be 36.6 square metres (396 square feet). Mike Berners-Lee estimates that receiving five letters per day plus two printed catalogs per week results in 480 kilograms (1,060 lb) CO2e per year.

Recipients may conceive of advertising mail as a privacy problem, both because its generation requires extensive collection and use of information, and because receipt of mail can be an intrusion into the home. Numerous public opinion polls have found that Americans find advertising mail intrusive, for instance, in June 2003, the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 19 percent of Americans found, “junk mail delivered by the postal service” a very big intrusion and 33 percent found it to be a big intrusion. Four out of five Americans favor a do-not-mail law, similar to the existing do-not-call telemarketing registry. You can significantly reduce your chances of being a victim of identity theft by taking steps to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive, especially credit card offers.

• 4 million tons (62 billion pieces) of junk mail is produced every year, half of which is never opened and ends up in landfills.
  
• Each person will receive around 550 pieces of junk mail this year. Your address is worth 3 to 20 cents each time it is sold. It costs the U.S.

• The average person gets only 2 personal letters each week, compared to 11 pieces of junk mail.
  
• Even if you recycle there are still enormous environmental costs to the environment to produce junk mail.
  
• Inks are often toxic. Even if "soy based" ink is used, only about 8% is actually from soy. Junk mail is hard to recycle because the inks have heavy metals. 
• Energy required to produce deliver and recycle the paper is enormous. There are many inefficiencies in Recycling.
• Loss of productive forest to create the high quality glossy paper much junk mail uses.
  
• Much junk mail uses virgin paper, often of types with poor recycling value. 100 million trees are cut down and destroyed each year for junk mail.
• 42% of timber harvested nationwide ends up as pulp wood for paper.
• All these environmental damages contribute towards species extinctions and climate change. 
  
• In the long run, this is worse on the economy because there is no sustainable economy without a sustainable environment.
  
• It takes wasting 28 billion gallons of water for paper processing each year. 50% of the solid mass that makes up our landfills is paper related waste.

• 5 years of on persons junk mail uses 1.7 trees, 700 gallons of water and emits 460 pounds of carbon dioxide.
  
• An average of 41 pounds of junk mail are sent to every adult each year. Approximately 44% goes to a landfill unopened.
  
• Scarce landfill space ruins many land masses and pollutes much ground water.
  
• The production and disposal of junk mail consumes more energy than about 3 million cars.
  
• $320 million of local taxes are used to dispose of unsolicited mail each year.  Postal System $550 million yearly to transport junk mail. 
  
• Advertising entices people to purchase mostly unnecessary products that used virgin natural resources for their production. 

• Reduction, where possible, is the far better choice. 
• If postal profits are the main concern, then they should raise the rates of the other mail services.
• email the Postmaster General’s office in Washington to ask that they give us a choice not to be forced to receive bulk mail: pmgceo@usps.gov and Contact the PRC (Postal Regulatory Commission) as they govern this aspect of the USPS and email the Postmaster General’s office and tell them you want better choices with your mail. This is our target tactic with funds we receive: We are lobbying to change the system. 
• Make a contribution towards our active efforts to give you a choice to stop all junk mail to include unaddressed junk mail in a simple manner.