How to stop junk mail

Junk mail is any unwanted mail received through the post. This could be advertising material or free newspapers. This can be annoying and very wasteful.

There are a few steps you can follow to help reduce the amount of junk mail coming through your door.

Sign up for the Mailing Preference Service

By doing this, your name will be removed from up to 95% of the mailing lists used by companies to send out marketing post.

Stop unaddressed mail from Royal Mail

Royal Mail deliver a lot of unaddressed junk mail, but you can choose to opt out.

Opt out of Royal Mail unaddressed mail

Use a “No Junk Mail” sign

Putting a "No Junk Mail" sign near your letterbox can cut down on flyers, leaflets and newspapers coming through your door.

You can make the sign yourself or you can order a free "No Junk Mail" sticker by emailing waste.management@essex.gov.uk.

Contact the sender directly

If you want to stop getting mail from a particular sender, contact them directly.

You should include:

your full name and address
the date
this sentence: “Please stop processing my personal data for direct marketing purposes in accordance with Article 21 of the General Data Protection Regulations.”
a reasonable date that you want the organisation to stop sending you mail - Article 21 says they should do this within one month

How to avoid junk mail

In future, check any forms that you fill in for marketing preferences. They might say something like “I give you permission to contact me”. Ticking (or unticking) the boxes will prevent you from getting junk mail from that company.