Junk Mail Impact

Below we have provided some important facts that not only verify the need to stop junk mail, but also reveal staggering truths about the impact of consumption and waste on the environment.

Stop Junk Mail — a Personal Nuisance & Environmental Hazard

• Keep trees in the forest. More than 100 million trees are destroyed each year to produce junk mail. 42% of timber harvested nationwide becomes pulpwood for paper.
• Reduce global warming. The world’s temperate forests absorb 2 billion tons of carbon annually. Creating and shipping junk mail produces more greenhouse gas emissions than 9 million cars.
• Save water. About 28 billion gallons of water are wasted to produce and recycle junk each year.
• Save time. You waste about 70 hours a year dealing with junk mail.

Your Mailbox Today

• The pulp and paper industry is the single largest consumer of water used in industrial activities in developed countries, and it’s the third-largest industrial greenhouse gas emitter (after the chemical and steel industries).
• The average adult receives 41 pounds of junk mail each year. 44% goes to the landfill unopened.
• On average, we receive 16 pieces of junk mail a week, compared to only 1.5 personal letters.
• The majority of household waste consists of junk mail.
• 40% of the solid mass that makes up our landfills is paper and paperboard waste.
• Junk mail inks have high concentrations of heavy metals, making the paper difficult to recycle.
• $320 million of local taxes are used to dispose of junk mail each year.
• California’s state and local governments spend $500,000 a year collecting and disposing of AOL’s direct mail disks alone.
• Transporting junk mail costs $550 million a year.
• Lists of names and addresses used in bulk mailings reside in mass data-collection networks. Your name is typically worth 3 to 20 cents each time it is sold.

Your Mailbox Tomorrow

• 41pounds.org eliminates 80-95% of junk mailings for you by contacting dozens of direct marketers on your behalf.
• By reducing your junk mail for 5 years, you’ll conserve 1.7 trees and 700 gallons of water, and prevent global warming emissions — and you’ll gain about 350 hours of free time!
• By stopping credit card offers and other junk mail, you’ll help protect your identity from theft and fraud.