Want to stop junk mail?

To put your name on a list to stop bulk business mail from coming to your house, write to Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, N.Y., 11735-9008, or check out their Web site at www.the-dma.org/cgi/offmailinglistdave.

By Heather Kronmueller ~ Southeast Missourian

Maureen Stranahan has gotten excited more than once after finding a piece of mail resembling a check in her mailbox.

But each time the excitement quickly changed to anger when she realized it wasn't a check at all. It was a piece of junk mail disguised as a check to get her to open it.

Last year the U.S. Postal Service delivered more than 89 billion pieces of junk mail. That's 43 percent of the 207 billion total pieces of mail delivered.

And while some people think junk mail is just a fact of life, others know there's a way to get rid of at least some of it.

By writing one simple letter to New York-based Direct Marketing Association, U.S. residents can see the amount of junk mail they receive begin to decrease within months.

The DMA Web site says "the Mail Preference Service is available to companies for the sole purpose of removing your name and address from their mailing lists."

Cape Girardeau postmaster Michael Keefe said he doesn't know if the service really works, but it's worth a try for people who are sick and tired of receiving junk in their mailboxes.

"I recommend it to seniors who get tons of requests for money," he said. "They're the ones who are usually paying their bills and don't use charge cards. For the average citizen who does use credit cards, however, it might not work as well."

Keefe said that's because credit card companies and departments stores that issue credit cards have their own mailing lists. The DMA no-mail list generally targets bulk business mailings like coupon book manufacturers.

Some will, some won't

Even so, just the chance of reducing the amount of junk mail is appealing to some people.

Connie Miles of Cape Girardeau says she receives an average of 20 pieces of junk mail per week.

"I don't even give it a second glance," she said. "I just pitch it in the trash can."

Miles said she wasn't aware of the no-mail list, but likes the idea and will probably use it in the future.

Southeast Missouri State University student Terry Frank said it's not worth the time it would take to sit down and write the letter.

"I barely get my bills paid on time," said Frank. "I wouldn't do it just because I hate paperwork."

One thing that annoys some people about junk mail is that it doesn't always come enclosed in an envelope, which means first-class mail can get mixed in with it.

But Keefe says the businesses aren't doing anything wrong. There is no law requiring businesses or individuals to bind their mail together. But the problem with sending loose mail, Keefe said, is all of the contents might not reach their destination if they aren't bound.

There are two ways to get your name put on the DMA's no-mail list.

The first is the old-fashioned way -- through the mail. People can send their name and address to the DMA office for only the cost of a 34-cent stamp.

The other way is quicker, but more expensive. For $5, people can register for the list online at the DMA Web site.

Stranahan says the disguised junk mail is annoying, but not all of it is bad.

"A lot of it goes straight in the trash," she said. "But sometimes you can find stuff you want."

As long as junk mail continues to show up in mailboxes, Keefe will keep giving one bit of advice: If you get a credit card application in the mail, make sure you rip it in half as a safeguard so someone else can't get their hands on it and apply in your name.

hkronmueller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128