pages tagged stopping-junk-mailThinking Aloudhttp://www.jrichards.ca/tags/stopping-junk-mail/Thinking Aloudikiwiki2013-01-04T04:09:14ZKilling Junk Mail - The Red Dot Campaignhttp://www.jrichards.ca/posts/killing-junk-mail-the-red-dot-campaign/2013-01-04T04:09:14Z2009-02-18T13:37:19Z
<p><img src="http://www.jrichards.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/reddot_mailbox1.png" alt="Red Dot Campaign Mailbox Sticker" title="Red Dot Campaign Mailbox Sticker" width="200" height="200" class="alignright size-full wp-image-162" />.</p>
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There has been quite a bit of fuss around stopping advertising from coming into your home. There's two usual routes for people to try and get their message to you, the phone and the mail. Stopping people from soliciting is getting a little easier. On the phone side there's the <a href="https://www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca/index-eng">national do-not-call list</a>. And on the mail side, there is the <a href="http://reddotcampaign.ca/">Red Dot Campaign</a>
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<h2>Stopping Mail One Box at a Time</h2>
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The Red Dot Campaign is dead simple. In a nutshell, you put a red dot on your mailbox that says "No Junk Mail Please" and that's it. The mail person stops putting the junk mail in your box. The campaign organizers have <a href="http://www.reddotcampaign.ca/downloads/RedDot_mailslot.pdf">pdf that you can print out and tape onto your mailslot</a> and one that you can <a href="http://www.reddotcampaign.ca/downloads/RedDot_mailslot.pdf">print out and put on your mailbox (it's bigger)</a>. Or if you're really feeling spenfy you can <a href="http://secure.zenvision.com/reddotcampaign">buy some red dot campaign stickers</a>.
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<h2>This isn't a Crazy Environmentalist Thing, Canada Post is Onboard</h2>
<p>The best thing is that Canada Post is totally onboard for this. They've said in <a href="https://ssl.postescanada-canadapost.ca/corporate/about/contact_us/faqs-e.asp#16">their FAQ's</a> that:</p>
<blockquote>Customers who do not wish to receive advertisement mail should put a note to this effect on their mailbox if they receive door-to-door delivery. For a community mailbox, group mailbox or postal box, the note should not be placed on the inside or the outside of the door. The note should be placed on the inside lip of the box. When the letter carrier puts the mail into the community mailbox, group mailbox or postal box, the door panel is open and not in view
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They've even got a splashy little page encouraging you to <a href="http://www.canadapost.ca/corporate/about/green/consumer/participate-e.asp">do the right thing for the environment and stop the junk mail</a>. The folks at the Red Dot Campaign claim:
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The Consumer Choice database is decremented for each person opting out, and advertisers reduce their print quantities accordingly</blockquote>
<p>But, I couldn't find that on Canada Post's site, although I reckon if enough people opt out of receiving flyers the message will travel up stream soon enough.
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<h2>Results - Look Ma, No Junk Mails</h2>
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Honestly, I am in awe of the fact that a small sticker stopped the seemingly endless stream of junk mail, but it did. We now get <strong>no junk mail</strong>. Big thank you to <a href="http://www.canadapost.ca/">Canada Post</a> and my mail delivery technician for making this easy.
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