Cutting catalog clutter - a gift that keeps on giving!

RELEASE: Nov. 30, 2007 – Volume XXXIX, No. 48

A few weeks ago, my mailbox exploded.

No, it wasn’t a cherry bomb. It was something far more insidious… catalogs! As the holiday season approached, my normally tidy mailbox was suddenly crammed with advertisements and catalogs on a daily basis!

According to the National Wildlife Federation, 19 billion catalogs are mailed each year to American consumers. That means 53 million trees, 3.6 million tons of paper and 38 trillion BTUs (enough to power 1.2 million homes) are used to produce the advertising. Over 5 million tons of carbon dioxide are emitted (equal to two million cars) and 53 billion gallons of waste water are discharged (enough to fill 81,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools).

Clearly, it would be better for us, our mailboxes and our planet if we generated less waste paper. So how can we stem this glossy tide flowing into our mailboxes?

One way is to eliminate most catalog mailings by registering with the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service (MPS). Most reputable companies check the MPS for names to exclude from their mailings. You can find the details at www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html, or by calling the DMA at (212) 768-7277.

You can also try Catalog Choice (www.catalogchoice.org). When you register online and decline specific catalogs from their list, they contact the merchants to request your name be dropped from mailing lists. You can also use the direct approach: with a simple phone call to a company’s customer service department you can often remove yourself from their mailing list, receive catalogs less frequently, eliminate duplicate mailings or switch to e-mail. You can also request that they not share your information with other marketers.

Don’t be shy about asking your favorite catalog companies to use recycled paper and responsible forestry practices. Some already do, but others haven’t yet seen the light.

ForestEthics has rated companies on the eco-friendliness of their holiday catalogs, labeling them “naughty,” “nice” or “checking twice.” Receiving a lump of coal, for example, was Sears, for its 200-page “Wishbook” catalog. Critics claimed the paper for the catalog comes almost entirely from threatened forests, including (ironically enough) habitat for reindeer! Merchants like Victoria’s Secret, which faced similar criticism in the past, are now on the “nice” list. With prodding from customers, other retailers can be motivated to improve.

If you can’t opt out of all holiday catalogs, recycle them, either through local collection programs or more creatively! For example, use catalog pages to make colorful envelopes for holiday cards by downloading a free template from thisrecycledlife.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/recycled-junk-mail.pdf. Or make a fun bead necklace with your kids. Cut 20-30 small, colorful triangles (3/4 inch at the bottom and 4-5 inches tall) out of catalogs; wrap them tightly around a toothpick and glue the tip down; when they dry, pull out the toothpick and string the ‘beads’ on yarn or thread. You’ll end up with a fun craft and a great gift!

Minimizing the amount of junk mail and catalogs you receive is good stewardship of our earth’s resources, plain and simple. And through the trees and forests it saves, it is a gift that can keep on giving all year long!

I hope you’ll contact me at info@njconservation.org, or visit NJCF’s website at www.njconservation.org, for more information about conserving New Jersey’s precious land and natural resources.

Return to SWI Columns