Norman Baker, Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes, has urged Government to take action to reduce the amount of junk mail posted through British letterboxes.

Junk mail is on the increase. Figures produced by the Direct Marketing Association for the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs estimate that Britons are targeted with 21 billion pieces of junk mail every year - an increase of 65% since 1997.

The figure, which includes both addressed and unaddressed junk mail, as well as inserts in newspapers and magazines, has been published as part of a voluntary agreement between the Direct Marketing Association and Defra. This so-called 'voluntary producer responsibility agreement' commits the junk mail industry to increasing recycling rates for junk junk mail and advertising opt-out schemes such as the Mailing Preference Service and Door-to-Door Opt-Out.

In today's Independent Mr Baker says attempts at voluntary agreements to reduce the environmental impact of junk mail have failed: "It is clear that voluntary efforts to reduce junk mail simply have not worked, because it is not in the interests of Royal Mail to make it work. Reducing junk mail requires government intervention as well as a more rigorous approach by Royal Mail. I shall be writing to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to ensure that more is done."

Mr Baker also criticised the focus on increasing recycling rates for junk mail. "This is about a reduction in junk mail, not just recycling. It is much better environmentally to reduce consumption rather than just recycle mail," he said.

Links

• Ministers pressed to take action on junk mail (independent.co.uk)
• Voluntary agreements for newspapers, direct mail and magazines (defra.gov.uk)