No Junk Mail Stickers
You can help fund Green Calgary's programs and services by saying no to junk mail. No Junk Mail stickers are now available for $2.00 at the Green Calgary EcoStore!
31 million trees are cut down each year just for junk mail. Green Calgary's Dump the Junk campaign will help to decrease or, even eliminate, the 450 pieces of junk mail destined for your mail box each year.
This sticker is a vinyl-free decal, made with polyester and printed with vegetable-based ink. This is the soundest environmental choice for an outdoor sticker, offering the best durability. Vinyl, which is a common decal choice, was avoided because of its highly toxic nature. The sticker backing paper is even recyclable at your local depot.
Make a big difference in reducing your waste and preserving the forests of Canada, get a No Junk Mail Sticker today!
The No Junk Mail sticker was designed by Heather Noakes who is currently attending Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver B.C.
Green Calgary EcoStore
809 - 4th Ave SW Calgary, AB
Tue and Wed - 10am - 5:30pm
Thu - 10am - 7pm
Fri and Sat - 10am - 4pm
Dump the Junk Campaign
By taking a few simple steps you’ll be able to stop junk mail in its tracks. Not only will you be saved from filtering through heaps of unwanted offers and more trips to the recycling bins, your actions will help prevent the destruction of 31 million trees that go into supporting this wasteful industry. Taking a couple minutes to fill in a few boxes and to write an e-mail will put the brakes on the 450 pieces of junk that are destined for your mail box this year.
You can stop a lot of addressed junk mail by registering online for the "Do Not Mail/Do Not Call" program at http://www.the-cma.org/consumer/donotcontact.cfm. If you don’t have access to e-mail, you can also write to: Do Not Mail Service, c/o Canadian Marketing Association, 1 Concord Gate, Suite 607, Don Mills, ON. M3C 3N6. Let it be known that you want to be removed from their master mailing list. Include your address, postal code and all the forms of your name that have appeared on your mail.
While the above step should get rid of some of that pesky junk mail, if you are an Air Miles collector, it may be worth contacting Air Miles to remove your name from their distribution lists. Simply indicate that you do not wish to receive marketing or promotional communications in electronic, printed or verbal format, other than AIR MILES Account Updates. This can be done via mail by writing AIR MILES® Customer Service, P.O. Box 602, Station A, Scarborough, Ontario M1K 5K7 or sending them an e-mail at: privacyoffice@airmiles.ca. "I sent an e-mail request to be de-listed and a notification confirming my removal was in my inbox within 2 days", explains Ashley Lubyk, Program Coordinator, Residential Environmental Services.
For unaddressed junk mail, like flyers and catalogues, your best bet is to put a no junk mail sign on your mailbox. Green Calgary sells a vinyl-free sticker available at the Green Calgary EcoStore, Elements the Patagonia Store, Sunny Side Market and at Community Natural Foods. Some individuals have notified us that despite a No Junk Mail sticker they are still receiving unsolicited mail from their letter carrier. It has been revealed to us that many of the mail carriers have been asked to continue delivering mail unless a letter has been written, indicating that junk mail is not to be delivered. A Canada Post letter template can be downloaded at http://www.reddotcampaign.ca/downloads/RedDot-LettertoCanadaPost.pdf . This letter should be filled out and simply put in the mailbox for the carrier; there is no need to put it in an envelope.
For people having a community mailbox, Canada Post recommends placing a No Junk Mail sign on the inside of each receptacle, along with the No Junk Mail letter above. People living in apartments and condos should follow suit.
Canada Post (the largest distributor of junk mail) and most local flyer distributors respect these signs and they have been very effective in reducing waste at its source. If you are still receiving flyers, it may be that it’s coming from somewhere other than your letter carrier. Have a look at the bottom or back page of the flyer to see who is distributing it. There should be contact information and you should be able to request to have the junk mail stopped.
Finally, many banks now give people the option to go paperless. Contact your bank for details. Many banks and credit card companies will continue to send special offers and credit card cheques but you are free to ask that these be stopped as well. Dump the junk and you’ll be amazed at how much extra time you have each week.
Please contact Ashley Lubyk at ashley@greencalgary.org if you have any questions or concerns.