Any online purchase or donation can result in a barrage of mail not just from that particular organization, but also from many others who purchase your name and address from marketing lists. While most unwanted or “junk” mail can be recycled, producing marketing mailers consumes trees and water, and contributes to global warming. Sorting through and recycling unwanted mail also wastes your valuable time.

A number of free or low-cost options can help you stop, or at least slow down, the flood of junk mail to your home. Catalog Choice provides a way to cancel catalogs and other types of paper mail, DMAchoice allows you to opt-out of unsolicited commercial mail, and OptOutPrescreen.com is a service established by credit reporting companies enabling consumers to opt-in or out of receiving credit or insurance offers.