After my February plastic trash challenge, I got inspired and started to look more closely at everything else I toss.
Now that I have some sort of control over my plastic trash, and gotten into a good routine of using the plastic recycle bag, I have found that most of my other trash is paper (advertising/junk mail) and food scraps.
Let’s talk about the junk mail. I tend to look through all the advertising from grocery stores, as I try to save a little when possible. I bulk up on some of my everyday products, when there is a good sale. All these adverts ends up in the paper recycle bin, so the paper is recycled, but I would have loved not contributing so much to paper waste.
I discussed this with a friend of mine that I do a bit of grocery shopping with, and we decided that, since I am the one who pays attention to when there are good deals to be had, he would be the one to put the “No junk” sticker on his mailbox. This way we can at least reduce one household of paper! And hopefully over time, I can figure out what advertising I “need” and see if I can find it online instead, to ultimate reduce two households!
But for now, the sticker is on his mailbox, there is one less household filled with paper junk and he think this is the best idea we (I’ve) have had since… ever!
I know it’s not much in the big picture of things, but a bit here, and a bit there… ads up eventually 😉
Minimalist Sometimes 
That’s a good idea! I wish it were that easy to get rid of junk mail here in the U.S.!
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Yeah.. now what we need to kill off is the addressed advertising (advertising where they send it specifically to you as a person), which I believe we can call a place and opt out of… I’ll look into that next! Don’t you have something similar in the US?
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They do, but I feel like I always end up back on it somehow…
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Yes… there is that..!
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I wonder. Do they print fewer circulars when folks opt out? Or does the P.O. just trash the unwanted flyers?
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I think they eventually print fewer circulars. I’m sure it’s not an instant thing. I’m not sure how the postal people sort it out, but I’m assuming they wont “order” more stuff that what they deliver out, as they have to handle the logistics of it all. And since it’s a costly affair to print the stuff in the first place, I’m assuming that the companies that wants the adverts made, won’t want to use more money that they have to…
But I’m sure it takes a few months before they get it all sorted out… I’m sure you noticed the question mark in the title.. I’m not sure what one single person saves on paper production, but if there is enough of us.. I’m sure it eventually adds up…
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Exactly. a bucket is filled drop by drop.
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I usually stop at the recycling bin after picking up the mail and try not to allow it into my home.
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That’s exactly what my friend was doing too, he pretty much threw everything straight from the mailbox into the recycle bin, which was another reason for why we though he might as well just put that sticker on! After a few weeks now, he is telling me that he really likes having an ad empty mailbox 🙂
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Good job! Every little bit helps.
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That’s what I was thinking, every bit helps 😉
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