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Have you gotten any unwanted mail lately? Did you know that every person in our country gets about 250 pieces of unsolicited mail every year, and in the course of a lifetime, you'll spend about 8 months looking at it? Some of this mail you may want; some you may wish you'd never received. Now that you've done such a good job recycling, take the next step, save our natural resources and stop unwanted mail before you get it. Here's some tips:

Write "Please do not rent, sell, or give away my name and address!" when filling out:

• promotions
• orders
• subscriptions
• donations
• credit card applications
• warranty cards
• driver's license applications*

    * Under Wisconsin open records law, government agencies are required to release applicants' names and addresses, unless applicants request otherwise.

Send back unwanted first class mail.

• If it has first class postage and you don't want it, mark it "Refused, return to sender," and mail it back.
  
• Do the same with any other postage paid response mail -- include their mailing label.

Send back unwanted solicitations or inserts.

• If unwanted mail has a postage-paid return envelope, mail this information back, requesting that your name be removed from their mailing lists.
  
• If you get unwanted inserts with your bills, mark the bill stub "Don't send inserts", and return them with your payment.

Call toll-free numbers.

• Call numbers listed on unwanted mail and tell them: "Please remove my name from your mailing list!"
  
• Give your name and address as listed on the label.
  
• To reduce preapproved credit card offers,
  call 1-888-5-OPTOUT.

Cancel unwanted specialty publications.

• Call publisher's office or send a note, with your address, asking: "Please do not deliver any more specialty classifieds to this address...!"

Cancel unwanted subscriptions.

• If you don't look at it any more... cancel it!
  
• To further reduce waste, share magazine subscriptions with neighbors, friends, or the library.
  
• On new subscriptions, write: "Please do not rent, sell or give away my name!".

Send a note to a major mailing list generator.

• Marketing services do not want to send you materials that you don't want. Send your name address and the request "Please remove my name and address from your mailing lists!" to:
  
  Mail Preference Service
  P.O. Box 643
  Carmel, NY 10512
  
  or go to their website at http://www.dmaconsumers.org/offmailinglist.html for information or to submit a request online. There is a $5 fee.

More ideas to reduce and reuse:

• You can reuse envelopes, especially large packing envelopes, by putting a mailing label over the address.
  
• Reuse greeting cards by cutting off the front flap to use as a post card or gift tag.

Mail Preference Service.

To remove your name, go to the website below. You can submit up to 3 names. Your email address will be kept on file for 2 years. http://www.dmaconsumers.org/optoutform_emps.shtml

Remember! Waste reduction saves!