F<\/span>inally I started to undertake some steps against unsolicited advertising and mailings. Down with the junk mail! It’s incredible how much unwanted mail we receive through our mailboxes\u00a0and we don’t really have an influence on it. It\u00a0annoys me. In our house there even is\u00a0a waste bin placed\u00a0directly below\u00a0the mailboxes\u00a0so\u00a0the tenants can dispose their unwanted mail immediately. Does it have to be that way? <\/p>\n

There are different types of paper junk mail. To cut it short\u00a0I refer simply to two classic types: indirect and direct\u00a0mailings.<\/p>\n

How can I provide against or at least try to stop junk mail?<\/h6>\n

Basically, you can get rid of the majority of indirect advertising immediately by labeling your mailbox with a “no junk mail please” sticker, as companies are legally responsible to comply with this contradiction. (If you want to plunge\u00a0deeper into the matter the web provides countless information.) Curbing direct\u00a0mails is a little more difficult.<\/p>\n

First, I collected\u00a0all the mail and junk mail addressed to me\u00a0for a while to get\u00a0an overview of what I receive and how much it is. Many unnecessary mailings\u00a0can be reduced slightly by being digitised, such as bank statements. Requested advertising, e. g. catalogues, you can often cancel directly online, similar to e-mail newsletters. Newspaper and magazine subscriptions are often also available in digital form, so the purchase of a tablet or eBook reader is worth to consider.<\/p>\n

Another option in Germany and other EU countries is to put yourself on the so-called “Robinson List” (comparable to “Mail Preference Service<\/a>” in the UK). You’ll\u00a0then be deleted from the currently existing address lists of all advertising companies (who are members of the German Dialogue Marketing Association in my case). However, such an entry will only prevent from the reception of personally addressed direct mail and catalogs from companies that want to gain you as a new customer. Should you want to get rid of junk mail from a company of\u00a0which you are or were a customer already, only one way remains: You have to send a written demand (preferably by registered mail with return receipt) asking\u00a0the company to refrain from sending advertising mail in the future.<\/p>\n