30 November 2015
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
I personally believe that so called paper ‘Junk Mail’ has a purpose. Unsolicited commercial communications are part and parcel of business. However, now that Irish residents have to pay for waste collection it can be galling to have to dispose of someone elses rubbish on your own dime!
If you want to avoid Junk Mail what can you do? One solution would be to buy a door that has no letter box (yes that is possible), another solution would be to remove the number from your house (but An Post will still find you!), so – jokes aside – a more practical solution is a ‘No Junk Mail’ sticker.
The Southern Waste Regional Office, which launched the ‘Say No to Junk Mail’ campaign last March, is providing 8 local authorities across the south of Ireland with thousands of additional junk mail stickers for use by householders.
The initiative has proven popular with thousands of junk mail stickers availed of by home and business owners in the Southern Waste Region, which includes Carlow, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford.
“With Christmas fast approaching the amount of junk mail or unsolicited mail appearing in letterboxes is increasing. Many householders complain that they have received the same junk mail more than once. This mail is not only a great source of annoyance for many householders but it is also a huge generator of unnecessary waste,” said Pauline McDonogh, Regional Waste Prevention Co-ordinator, Southern Waste Region.
“Unsolicited mail generally comprises of items such as local take away menus, local taxi companies, and companies advertising services such as house or garden maintenance. The problem is a source of annoyance for many and is particularly bad in urban areas,” said Ms. McDonogh.
“While junk mail can be recycled most householders when asked say they would prefer not to get it in the first place. The ‘No Junk Mail’ stickers we are making available are a polite way to request distributors not to give you the material. No Junk Mail stickers are being made available from the offices of the Environment Sections of the participating local authorities in Cork City, Clare, Waterford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Tipperary and Kerry. A number of local Tidy Towns Groups are also distributing the stickers,” she added.
The Southern Waste Regional Office has hosted a series of other ‘Do One More Thing Campaign’ measures during 2015. Among the initiatives is improving the quality of recycling so less recyclable waste is contaminated, and reducing household food waste through smarter shopping, improved food storage and more efficient use of foodstuffs.
