In praise of: Royal Mail

Junk Mail

• The average home receives over 200 items of unwanted junk mail every year.

• Over half a million tonnes of junk mail is generated annually in the UK.

• UK junk mail uses 3.5 million trees each year.

Source: BBC - Junk Mail - Climate Change

• 17.5 billion pieces of junk mail are produced every year in the UK. This includes both addressed and unaddressed junk mail.

• To produce all this junk mail 550,000 tonnes of paper and 16.5 billion litres of water are used.

• 650 pieces of junk mail are posted through the average British letterbox every year.

• On average 80 pieces of addressed junk mail are sent out to the 583,000 people who die every year in the UK following their death.

Source: Stop Junk Mail


How can you help combat climate change, save over 4kg of CO₂ a year, reduce landfill, reduce the need for recycling and help postie at the same time? Here's one very simple way to do it: Sign up to the Mailing Preference Service and opt out of junk mail.