8 July 2008 – The Government today responded to Stop Junk Mail's petition for an easier and more effective system for opting out of junk mail, stating it currently has "no plans to take measures to restrict" junk mail.
The 'Go Dutch' petition, organised by Robert Rijkhoff, Stop Junk Mail's Co-ordinator, called on the Government to make opting out of receiving junk mail easier by adopting the Dutch system for opting out of junk mail.
In the Netherlands, people can effectively reduce the amount of junk mail they receive to zero by registering with a Mailing Preference Service and putting a free and readily available 'no junk mail' sticker on their letter box. However, in his response the Secretary of State for Business and Regulatory Reform, John Hutton, said that the Government is concerned that making reducing junk mail easier will threaten "revenues and traffic volumes for postal operators such as Royal Mail."
In it's Waste Strategy White Paper, published in May 2007, the Government said that marketeers should do more to reduce waste caused by junk mail and signaled that it will consider the introduction of a 'junk mail opt-in system' should the industry fail to do so.
Referring to the White Paper, Mr Rijkhoff, who has worked as a postman in the Netherlands, said: "Of course I didn't expect the Government would change its policy as a result of the petition. I did hope, however, that the Secretary of State would look into the Dutch system for opting out of junk mail. The system has been developed by Friends of the Earth in conjunction with marketeers and has proven to be good for consumers, mail houses and the environment. It is disappointing that the Government is not more willing to consider what could be a positive alternative and continues to opt for self-regulation by the marketing industry.
The Go Dutch petition closed on 2 May 2008 and attracted exactly 250 signatures. The full text of the petition and the Government's response can be read here.