Unsolicited letters and flyers in your mail box represent a waste of energy, paper and your time. Environmentally concerned householders have been objecting to this form of marketing for years. And things have gotten worse in some ways, as unwanted telephone solicitations have increased, interrupting our meals, family time and sleep.

 Stopping Junk Mail

• Start by putting a "No Flyers please" sign on your mail box. Canada Post letter carriers are instructed to respect such signs.
• Visit the Red Dot Campaign for more information.
• Here is a PDF of a downloadable letter to Canada Post, advising them that you do not wish to receive unaddressed ad mail. This may be a useful step if you live in an apartment and don't have a way of putting a No Flyers sign on your mailbox.
• Sign up with the Do Not Contact service of the Canadian Marketing Association, through which individuals can register "to reduce the number of marketing offers they receive by mail, telephone and fax."

If you have other suggestions or creative ways you have used to stop junk mail and unwanted telephone solicitations, please let us know at Living Green, Living Well. Post a note to the Message board, or e-mail us at rcm[at]resourceconservation.mb.ca.

Stopping Junk Phone Calls

Many Canadians are fed up with interruption of family meal times and home life by unwelcome telemarketing pitches. There are far too many calls offering questionable credit card inducements, unwanted household services, and bogus prize giveaways.

Now there is a way to get your number off the list. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has established new rules about unsolicited telecommunication. Find out more and register on the CRTC Do Not Call list. Or call 1-866-580-3625.

CONSUMER ALERT:  (January 23, 2009) - According to media reports, some people who have registered on the CRTC Do-Not-Call (DNC) list have complained that the number of unsolicited calls they have received has not been reduced, and in some cases appears to have increased, following registration of their telephone numbers. LGLW understands that the CRTC and the Office of Canada's Privacy Commissioner are investigating whether lists of registered numbers may have come into the possession of telemarketers who are ignoring the purpose of the list and calling consumers anyway. There is a suggestion that some of these calls may be originating outside Canada.

Householders can make their own decision as to whether they want to await the outcome of these investigations, and any actions against unauthorized use of the DNC lists, before registering their telephone numbers with this service.