20 February 2008 – East Sussex County Council has started a junk mail awareness campaign in a bid to reduce the amount waste the county produces.
The average household in East Sussex throws away over a tonne of rubbish per year. Junk mail makes up an estimated three per cent of all household rubbish.
To meet its recycling targets and reduce the cost of disposing of waste, East Sussex County Council has produced information packs advising East Sussex residents how they can avoid junk mail being pushed through their letterbox. The free packs include information about the Mailing Preference Service, Royal Mail's door to door opt-out scheme as well as a 'no junk mail' sticker.
To promote the campaign, the Council is giving a free reusable cotton shopping bag to the first 500 people requesting an information pack.
Councillor Matthew Lock, lead cabinet member for transport and environment, said: "By stopping unwanted junk mail, people in East Sussex can help save precious resources and reduce climate change as well as avoid the frustration of receiving unwanted mail."
More information about the campaign launched by East Sussex County Council can be found at www.eastsussex.gov.uk/junkmail.