Buy a letterbox sticker
Stop junk mail and support our campaign by buying one of our 'no junk mail' stickers for only £1.
Please see our stickers page for more information.
About our junk mail stickers
Below we have listed the most frequently asked questions about our junk mail stickers. If you have any other queries, please feel free to contact us.
- Why stop junk mail stickers?
- Do junk mail stickers work?
- Why 'No/Yes' and 'No/No' stickers?
- What size are the stickers?
- How long will it take before I get my sticker?
- What else can I do to stop junk mail?
Why stop junk mail stickers?
The 'No/Yes, No/No' stickers were first introduced in the Netherlands in 1994. They were developed in co-operation between branch organisations and environmental groups and with the support of local and national authorities.
From the outset the stickers were a huge success - people who have traveled to Holland have probably noted the large amount of letter boxes with a 'Nee/Ja' or 'Nee/Nee' sticker.
Since 1994 'No/Yes, No/No' stickers have been introduced in France, Norway, Germany and Belgium. Stop Junk Mail first introduced the stickers in the UK in 2004.
The reason for the success of the stickers is that all parties involved have something to gain from them:
- People who are not interested in leaflets and/or free newspapers are not bothered with them anymore.
- Businesses who want to send out mailings can target more economically - after all, there's no point in delivering leaflets to people who are not interested in them.
- The environment is probably the biggest winner. Last year 550,000 tonnes of direct mail were posted. There is no better way of helping the environment than to prevent something you don't want is produced in the first place.
Do junk mail stickers work?
Our stickers have proven to reduce the amount of junk mail that comes through the letterbox considerably and they're the only way to stop junk mail delivered by local businesses. This is because local companies do not check if you have registered with the Mailing Preference Service (MPS).
Unfortunately, it is (still) Royal Mail's policy not to respect 'no junk mail' signs when they deliver so-called 'door-to-door' items. However, many postmen do appreciate that you might not like to receive junk and won't bother you with it anymore. Also, it is our experience that a friendly word with the postman is a very effective way to stop junk mail. Posties are not keen on delivering junk and do not enjoy being relegated to junk mail deliverers. But to be sure you won't receive any more leaflets from your postman, you should contact Royal Mail and ask them to get you opted-out of their 'door to door scheme'. You will find more information about this on our things you can do to stop junk mail page.
Why 'No/Yes' and 'No/No' stickers?
You can of course get any 'no junk mail' sign. The only problem with the usual 'no junk mail' text is that it is not always clear what exactly junk mail is. A leaflet trying to sell you a loan is obviously junk mail, as is a flyer from a kebab shop. But what about a street newsletter or a leaflet from your local councillor? And what about the free newspapers?
The 'No/Yes', 'No/No' stickers separate out commercial leaflets and free newspapers. With both stickers community news is still welcome. This is because political leaflets and street newsletters are (or at least should be) informative rather than commercial. If you don't want to receive community news either you should contact the people who produce it directly.
What size are the stickers?
The stickers are approximately 10.5 x 3.6 centimeters (that is 4.1 x 1.4 inches). The stickers are screen printed, which means they are weather proof.
How long will it take before I get my sticker?
Your sticker will be sent to you as soon as we have received your payment. That means you will normally have your sticker within three working days. If you pay by cheque it can take a couple of days more, but you should still have you sticker within five working days. Shouldn't you have received your sticker within a week, please contact us.
What else can I do to stop junk mail?
A junk mail sticker should stop all unaddressed mail. However, a sticker will not stop advertisements delivered by Royal Mail and junk mail that is addressed to you. On our things you can do to stop junk mail page we explain how you can stop these mailings as well.