Canada Post asks Canadians to start accepting junk mail

Canada Post asks Canadians to start accepting junk mail.


See video:
http://globalnews.ca/news/585922/canada-post-opts-for-junk-mail/

Effects of Junk Mail on the Environment

Studies regarding junk mail (with the exception of catalogs and phonebooks) have shown that the average household gets sent only 1.5 personal letters a week while receiving in average 16 envelopes of junk mail. Doing the math, when adding up the weight of the junk mail, using a conservative estimated average weight of 2oz per letter, it amounts to 41 pounds of junk mail per house per year! The 2001 Canadian Census reported there to be 11.5 million households, which means just under one BILLION pounds of junk mail per year in Canada only. In other words, that's roughly 18 times the weight of the Titanic! If an average mailing costs 10 cents per letter, it sums up to about $250 million per year for these useless mailings, 40% of which go directly to the garbage bin unread and only 2% of which are responded to.

The worse thing about junk mail is not just the fact that we receive it. Its negative environmental impact is astounding: forests are destroyed to make pulp, toxic chemicals are used to print them, landfills are clogged, and to dispose of them is pricey, among other issues. As one can visibly understand, junk mail is not just a nuisance to us; it's to the environment as well.

The negative effects of logging to build the paper used for junk mail are everywhere. Deforestation destroys the equilibrium of forest ecosystems, which can erode the soil, destroy habitats, damage water tables, and impact on the environment in many other ways. Disappearance of forests renders the atmosphere unstable by taking away trees that would otherwise eliminate carbon dioxide (the primary greenhouse gas) from the air. The damage to the water tables that can be caused by deforestation dries drying otherwise fertile soil, which then becomes highly prone to erosion and further soil damage. Erosion due to deforestation can in turn increase the risk of drought or flooding in waterways. Erosion is not the only soil damage. Working with ground water can result in sucking away

Prevent Unwanted Mail‎

The Red Dot Campaign is a privately funded social marketing venture. Paper is precious. Vast amounts of trees, energy, water and fossil fuels are used in the production and distribution of paper-based advertising. And yet the industry standard is a 2% response rate! That means 98% of these resources are wasted! We say its time advertisers join the 21st century and adopt data-driven print technologies, electronic communications and social marketing. The Red Dot Community will help inspire this change.

Step 1. Raise Awareness about Canada Post’s Consumer Choice Option

We applaud Canada Post’s eco-friendly Consumer Choice option that reduces waste and clutter. All you need to do is put a “No Admail” or “No Junk Mail” sign on your mailbox. * The Consumer Choice database is decremented for each person opting out, and advertisers reduce their print quantities accordingly. Refer to Canada Post's website for more details.

* Note: This opt-out policy varies by letter carrier and region in Canada. If your “No Admail” sign is ignored, call 1-866-607-6301. Some municipal notices will also be stopped. Again this varies by letter carrier and region.

Step 2. Encourage other distributors to follow Canada Post’s leadership

Lets urge community newspapers, flyer distributors and phone book companies to announce their opt-out protocol, reduce their subscriber base accordingly and be more mindful of waste and overages in their distribution process.

Step 3. Encourage advertisers to reduce unaddressed print advertising

Let’s urge advertisers to state their commitment to reducing flyers, through effective targeting, and adopting subscription-based advertising and online technologies. Canadian Tire is leading the way by moving its catalogue online.