Is anyone else sick to death of junk mail?I have a sign on my letterbox and the problem still persists.I have managed to stop the large bundles being delivered but the individuals ,obviously illiterate,continue to fill said box with this unwanted detritus.I don't want the expense of removing my letterbox and hiring a P.O box.One real estate agent,after my contacting them,said to bin it.I do not want my bin full of this rubbish either.I have even pursued the deliverers and handed them back their junk.I have stopped unwanted "phone calls by joining the do not call register,how do i put a stop to this?.I have on occassions found my legitimate mail on the footpath as the slot was clogged with pamphlets.One distributor went so far as to throw the lot in my yard after seeing my sign.This may appear minor to some but i believe it is another example of peoples disregard for anyone elses rights.On principal, i refuse to buy,employ or have anything to do with the product being advertised.What do you suggest?

haygirl, an alternative to filling your bin with the garbage is to use the facilities of the Post Office.

Either hand the unwanted items in to your nearest Post Office, and ask them to contact the culprits on your behalf to dissuade them, or simply package them up with a "return to sender" label, and drop in a post box.

Won't solve the problem, but it saves you having to put up with the rubbish.

Ah, Pericles, given that the 'junk mail' that haygirl is complaining about is unlikely to have been delivered by Australia Post or its contractors, your solution is not going to be effective. As far as I'm aware, posties invariably honour the 'No Junk Mail' etc signs that people put on their letterboxes - because it means less work for them, if nothing else.

At any rate, most suburban post offices are franchises these days, and the proprietors have little to do with mail deliveries. On the other hand, those who deliver most of the advertising material that clogs up suburban letterboxes tend to work for private contractors and are paid on piece rates - which is why they deliver material that recipients clearly don't want in some cases.

Admittedly, it's a bit harder to track down the real culprits than to take out your frustration on your local post office licensee, but it's likely to be more effective in the long run.

I have in the past adopted the practice of shredding the unwanted junk mail, delivering it in person to the floor of the premises of the advertiser, and telling them why. I should mention that the legality of doing this is questionable.

Still, eventually the message got through, and I get no more than the odd leaflet now.

Sylvia.

I put a sign on my letter box some years ago (after finding real mail being pushed into the garden).

It's about 90% effective. A couple of the local real estate agents don't consider their ongoing offers to give me an appraisal on my house junk mail and pollies don't seem to consider their stuff junk. Occasionally a Pizza offer but very little else.

R0bert

Thank you all for your comments.I have returned the mail,if it has return address.I have a sign saying "no junk mail.Australia Post only"
I have even sent emails to the companies advertising this way and told them i'll boycott their products and services.Some are ok,some are nasty.I haven't yet shredded the rubbish and deposited it on the floors.Maybe that will be my next action.I am aware that this is not an earthshattering topic and some may think i'm a grouch but it is extremely frustrating.I do get annoyed(on the few occassions it rains in QLD)when my mail is wet because the postie was unable to insert it in the slot properly.Maybe i could get a dog and train it just to bite junk mail deliverers.A little over the top,you think.Back to the drawing board.

It is tempting to send it back in an envelope without any postage on it - so they have to pay the postage!
We got rid of religious callers who persisted after the death of a close relative only after threatening legal action. (They have never come to the door again.)
If you have access to the addresses I would suggest you do the same, write to the distributors and tell them you will hold them responsible when the overflowing letterbox suggests you are away and the house gets burgled!

HAYGIRL CAN YOU POST A STORY ON FORGOTTEN AUSTRAKIANS AS EVERY TIME I START THE TOPIC IT DONT COME UP , I DONT KNOW HOW TO USE THIS ALL THAT WELL TYPE IN DARUK BOYS HOME MICHEAL BROWN THEN YOU WILL KNOW TRUE AND REAL VICTIMS LIVES AS MANY OF US FORGOTTEN AUSTRALIANS WE WANT THE TRUTH ADMITTED READ THE SENATE INQUIRES YOURSELF , FORGPTTEN AUSTRALIS AUGUST 2004 , THEN THE SECOND REPORT MARCH 2005 , AYE A JUDGE SAYS YOUR COMPLAINT IS REAL AND A TRAGIC PAST OF HISTORY , BUT SHUTS A DOOR AND YOU HAVE TO APPEAL AND BE RAPED AND ABUSED ONCE AGAIN , OR UNTIL THE ADMITT THE TRUTH KIND REGARDS MICHEAL BROWN

Huffnpuff,I have submitted a new thread called Forgotten Australians.It is up to the moderators now whether that thread is accepted or not.I have tried as you requested.Here's hoping.By the way,how do YOU deal with the problem of junk mail.You must have some ideas as you looked up this topic.

Huffnpuff,Forgotten Australians has been accepted.You can now go into that topic and say what you need to.I have a copy of the senate report and the government response also.Good luck with your appeal.Talk to you on the other topic thread.

Really nice response to Huffnpuff Haygirl; good on you!

(Huffnpuff; I'm so sorry kiddo. Don't let the system abuse you as well. It is very good at that.)
_________________

If I'm really hammered by various companies; I keep all their franked self-addressed envelopes and send their junk mail to each other!

You will get a fair amount of these envelopes; hang onto them and make use of them!

thank you for posting the forgotten australians , now to get rid of junk mail resend it back ,and put a sign out the front no junk mail hear send it to the goverment house

Thank you GINX.Excellent idea.A bit time consuming maybe.Fun all the same.Huffnpuff,you're welcome.Glad to have been of service.Now you can say all the things you need to and maybe a few more people will understand.We'll leave that topic for your new site.I have thought of waiting for the junk mail distributors with a bag of rubbish and tipping it on them.The thought of going to gaol and picking up the rubbish has somewhat turned me off this idea.Keep em coming people.Maybe we can set up a business named JUNK MAIL BUSTERS.

Remember, also, that the glossy catalogues that arrive from major stores cost a fortune to publish and post - this is passed onto the customers.

Perhaps someone clever could estimate the cost of publishing just one catalogue; albeit with multiple copies the price does drop. But by how much?

A retiree from retail told me that each page of a glossy catalogue costs about $1 to print. I can’t verify the accuracy of this, but I am sure interested parties would like to know as they have to fork out for this type of promotion being included in the price of the item.

And all those trees that are cut down to make paper ...

I contacted the distributor of the adverising and told them i didn't want it. I did this regularly for a couple of weeks and left their deliveries in a pile on the footpath. One day, i came home to find it had all been removed and I had a sticker saying "Aust Post Only" on my letter box. the distributors don't want to pay people for deliveries that are wasted and they don't want their advertisers geting the idea that this is happening.