In an increasingly digital world where you can do almost anything online — from paying your bills to staying in touch with loved ones — snail mail is becoming less common. However, even if you've completely switched to online bank statements, you can still expect a mailbox full of frustrating junk mail.
In a popular Reddit post, one user shared a photo they titled "Important Mail vs. Junk Mail," showing the pile of advertisements and flyers they received in the mail next to a smaller stack of relevant letters addressed directly to them.
Junk mail, also known as direct mail or marketing mail, is any unsolicited advertisements one may receive in the mail that they did not ask to receive.
This Redditor is one of millions of Americans who receive junk mail every year. Americans receive an estimated 41 pounds of junk mail annually, much to their annoyance.
Not only is junk mail a nuisance, but it's also detrimental to the environment. An estimated 5.6 million tons of junk advertisements and fliers end up in landfills every year. TreeHugger reported that the planet-overheating carbon pollution created by junk mail each year is equal to the carbon pollution from about seven U.S. states combined.
Luckily, there are many ways to reduce the amount of junk you receive to spare your mailbox.
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Websites like DMAchoice can help you opt out of junk mail from select companies. If you're constantly receiving credit card offers, you can use OptOutPresceen.com to reject prescreening mail for credit or insurance.
These steps can save you frustration and prevent loads of unopened catalogs from wasting away in a landfill.
Fellow Reddit users expressed their shared hatred for junk mail in the post's comment section.
"Looks like my mail every day," one user wrote. "It's just so wasteful. I hate it."
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"Sometimes I only get junk mail, and I hate it," another Redditor added.
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