Junkmail-free streets
PLEDGE: Junkmail-free streets
Hey, I had an idea ages ago to provide free 'no junkmail' signs to all my neighbours 'cos I think people just don't get around to getting them. I'm so keen to see my whole street be a junkmail free zone. Any ideas of who could fund the purchase of the signs? They're over $5 each at the hardware store and I can't really afford heaps of them. I guess 2 a week for a year would be good but I'd rather make a big statement and get the whole street done at once. Haha I bet the hardware store wouldn't support it as their advertising is mostly circulars! Probably should go ask everyone if they're keen first. What do you all think?
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Junkmail free streets
Hi Tim,
Our NO JUNK MAIL sign is simply a piece of wood attached to the mail box with the words written on in permanant marker. The rain hasn't washed it away yet!
You could make a whole heap of NO JUNK MAIL signs for your street for very little money by recycling scrap wood or using laminated card (easy to print on recycled paper, glue to recycled card and either laminate or cover with clear tape). You could add a logo or consistent design to make the signs more appealling to your neighbours - a useful seasonal gift perhaps?!
Racheblue
Artist, Designer & Writer
Striving for Sustainability & Ethics in Art, Design & Lifestyle
http://bluAngeldesigns.com
http://bluangeldesigns.com/almanac/bluangelalmanac.html
http://ecomonkey.blogspot.com/
Totally agreed
So called 'No Junkmail' signs can well be made from recycled papers, which cost is so minimal(virtually none if you already got a marker or some paint) that it would be rather amusing to run around for fundings for such no-cost signs. Good on you Racheblue :)
FREE No Junk Mail Stickers
Check out http://www.letterboxer.org.nz for FREE stickers.
Volunteers like me go door to door asking people to give up junkmail. The success is shown with google maps and charts.
re: junk mail signs
Maybe we need some official Be The Change 'No Junkmail' signs made out of something fiendishly sustainable and available for purchase with BTC Points here on the website?
Be the Change Stickers
Hi Changeling,
Purchasing the stickers with BTC points is a great idea. It's like giving them away free but better because you're qualifying the recipient and improving the chances the sticker will be used.
The only question is who's going to pay for the stickers?
RE: Be The Change Stickers
OK worth thinking about maybe. Be The Change is backed by Oxfam, Forest & Bird and Greenpeace so there may be some opportunity to produce some materials like that.
When visiting my parents a
When visiting my parents a while ago, I noticed they didn't have a NO JUNK MAIL sign yet they hated getting junk mail. I just got out an old tin of paint from the garage and painted it right on the letterbox. Easy-as. It doesn't need to look professional- in fact it's more interesting if it doesn't, and it's more fun. DIY!
Junkmail free streets (cont.)
Just found letterboxers.org.nz - I hope we can make this nationwide with support from local bodies!
RE: Junkmail free streets (cont.)
Great idea but that link doesn't work.
Re: broken link
Hi, correct link is www.letterboxer.org.nz.
Note contact form doesn't seem to work as site is under development.
Cheers
junk mail free streets
stickers do the job just as well as metal signs and I've found some types of stickers that last for ages and ages - in fact they're still on the various boxes I've put them on.
Is probably best to actually go and talk to the occupants before putting them on the box or put it on between tenants (i.e. when people have obviously moved out - if the new tenants don't want it they'll simply remove it but my observation is that few do so)
Re: stickers
Mmmm that's surprising, I would have thought stickers weren't very weather resistent. Will consider it for the project.
I do intend to speak to people! See letterboxer.org.nz (under development)
no junkmail stickers durable?
that's what i thought so I did a test of several types from different sources. Some (Christchurch CC ones and just a plain turquoise/blue 'No Circulars' one have been on for up to two years and still going strong whereas a vinyl white one didn't last.
No junk mail stickers
Hey there, Ive just bought a sticker from Trademe, it cost $2.80 plus postage and they sent me two. Perhaps you could try that? Its a white sticker with black writing "No Junk Mail!". Seems to have survived the last three weeks, who know how long it will last, but its cheap! Good luck.
When I was a kid, I did a
When I was a kid, I did a pamphlet run, and the company always gave me WAY too many copies of the pamphlets, despite me asking repeatedly for them to reduce the number of copies I was given to deliver. I have always been a fanatical paper recycler, so put them in the recycling, but I know that a lot of kids who deliver pamphlets just chucked them all in the landfill rubbish bins or threw them over the fence into parks, streams or gullies. So the way I see it, is that if the companies won't stop producing the pamphlets, the best thing we can do is keep the no junk stickers off our boxes and make sure that at least one copy IS being recycled, rather than dumped or landfilled...
Just a thought
Re: recycling junkmail
Hmmm... I think if we can make whole streets junk-free that would be good, then I can write to the distribution companies and advertisers telling them noone in this area wants their material. Also I probably should petition the marketing association or something to make pamplet advertisers do an accurate count of how many houses in an area will actually receive the pamphlets so there's no waste.
It's probably worthwhile trying to make the delivery companies recycle all left-overs...
I don't yet know what I'm going to say to the people who ask about putting the delivery kids out of work. That's potentially a big problem...
junk mail
You either like junk mail or you don't.
I'm currently delivering junk mail as an adult and I recycle everything that isn't delivered.
I believe that there is too much advertising going out to letterboxes but putting out no junk mail signs on letterboxes won't stop that. There are also issues about the type of paper used as the glossy stuff must be harder to process than the newsprint when it comes to recycling.
The person who delivers my bulk amount of papers for delivery is always reminding us to recycle our unused papers and to let her know if she gives us too many papers.
re junk mail
Ok... I suppose I should talk to the distribution companies and see what they think would stop the whole thing. Actually if they tell me that, their businesses will collapse so they might not be the best people to approach.
What do you think would stop advertisers using circulars? I heard back from myletterbox.co.nz (an alternative to junkmail, where you would only get the specials you wanted to get - ie. only the hardware store, not the supermarket etc) - Dave, who started it, said:
"Unfortunately MyLetterBox ran out of fuel once I got specialist advice. The idea is one that is fairly involved (requires a lot of time and resources). I spoke to many advertising agencies and they were just not ready for something like that. As a result I've had to pull the plug on that one.
However, we're currently still working in the same online marketing space and have refocused on something a bit more achievable. We're starting a site that puts up one deal a day for 24 hours or until stock runs out. Chuck your email into www.offtheback.co.nz and we'll let you know when it's out!"
So it's not going to be as simple as giving away no junkmail signs. What do you think would stop it?