More than 100 billion pieces of junk mail are delivered in the United States annually – about 300 per person. Each year, printing consumes more than 100 million trees and enough water to fill 160,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools; it produces as much CO2e as more than two million cars. Disposing of and recycling these materials costs governments and taxpayers more than $250 million annually.

And, because many people shred junk mail to protect themselves from identity theft and fraud, that paper isn’t recycled in many communities; the shredded paper is too small to sort by machinery at recycling facilities, so it is sent to waste to energy plants or to landfills.

How can we reduce unwanted junk mail and save resources? Extended producer responsibility. PSI works to enact EPR legislation for packaging and paper that would shift responsibility for junk mail recycling from taxpayers to producers. We also support national opt-out solutions for junk mail and phone books, which ensures that these materials are only delivered to people who want them. For example, we partnered with Catalog Choice to promote their opt-out program in Massachusetts, reducing more than 250 tons of waste in one year. The downloadable graphic on this page has been used by governments nationwide to help raise awareness about opt-out solutions. (You can use it, too!)

What can you do? Tell your representatives that you support packaging EPR and a national junk mail opt-out system. Then, learn where to recycle or safely dispose of junk mail in your community.

If you’re a PSI Member or Partner, search our Resource Library for information on junk mail stewardship and our Legislation Library for a history of junk mail EPR bills and laws in the U.S.