I did 3 things in the last 2 years that put me on the map for junk mailers and spammers. First I got a credit card. Then I got a car loan. Then I bought a house. A real junk mail trifecta of things to do. Every day I got half a dozen pieces of mail that I didn't even want to open. Offer after offer after offer. And I'm not alone. On average, the American household receives 848 pieces of junkmail a year, almost 2 trees worth for each home. About half that junk mail doesn't even get opened. The environmental toll is immense. How do we stop junk mail once and for all?

Step 1: Turn off the junk mail faucet.

The first step you should take is to stop the flood of mail at its source. Go to http://www.dmachoice.org to remove your name from most junk mail mailing lists. It can take up to 3 months for your name to come off of all of them, so don't freak out if the junk mail doesn't stop right away. By doing this, you've taken the first step to ending the flow of junk mail.

Step 2: Nip the credit solicitations in the bud.

If you've done any of the 3 things I talked about before, get ready for a jillion credit card and loan offers. A lot of the time, your information is sold to third parties to solicit you. Maybe all you did was buy a home and now you've got 20 letters a week coming to refinance it. Maybe you opened up a new credit card and are now getting offer after offer after offer. It happens. To opt out of credit card offers, go to http://www.optoutprescreen.com or call 888-5OPT-OUT to stop the flow of unwanted loan offers.

Step 3: Stop the flow of phonebooks.

If you're reading this, chances are you don't ever use a phonebook. With the rise of the internet, the phonebook is obsolete. Of course, if you want your phonebook, keep it! But if you're like 70% of the country that just throws them in the trash, opt out. Fewer trees cut down, less carbon footprint. Go to Dex to opt out quickly and easily.

Step 4: Ask that charities not send you mail.

Giving to charities is awesome. It's good to give back to your community. But a lot of the time your donation results in junkmail. Sometimes charities will actually sell your information to other charities, thus causing the problem to worsen. Usually when you make a donation, you can check a box that requests you not be sent any junk mail.

Step 5: Say goodbye to direct mailers.

There are a few direct mailing companies in the U.S. that we've listed below. They're pretty easy to unsubscribe from. It's well worth the time.

Valpak
1 Valpak Ave. N.
St. Petersburg, FL 33716
1-727-399-3000
http://www.coxtarget.com/mailsuppression/s/Display...

Have the Valpak mailing label handy and fill in your information exactly as it is printed. If you like coupons you can receive them without getting them in the mail. Just go to www.valpak.com to print them yourself.

Valassis Direct Mail, Inc.
Consumer Assistance
PO Box 249
Windsor , CT 06095
1-800-437-0479, between 8:30 and 5:00 EST

http://www.valassis.com/1024/Contact/contact_home....

Select "consumer" and then "I would like to be removed from your mailing list."

Abacus Cooperative Databases
Simply email these people with "remove" in the subject lane and your full name, including middle initial, and address in the message. Include previous addresses as well if you've moved in the last year.