Environmental Services

How To Reduce Your Junk Mail

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) maintains a registry that you may write to get your name taken off the mass marketing mailing lists.

How to remove your name from marketing mailing lists

  • To be effective you must write to the registry and they will keep your name in the registry for a five year period. We suggest that you write or email the registry periodically (monthly) to make sure they get you off the list. Please remember to include all of the names that you receive direct marketing materials under. Companies who are members of the DMA are required to check the registry list periodically and remove any one listed on the registry from their mailing lists.
  • Most of the companies who use the DMA registry are national marketers and not local businesses or organizations which do not typically use the registry program to minimize their mailing lists. You will need to write to these local businesses or organizations directly to request that your name be removed from their lists.
  • We suggest that you update this system periodically to minimize the potential for you to be "re-listed" under another name. It will take a period of months (2-4 months) for the registry to be effective in reducing this unsolicited mail. You needn't worry, this will not cause your not to receive mail from companies which you have done business with in the past.
  • To Register with the DMA, write to:

    MAIL PREFERENCE SERVICE
    DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION
    P.O. BOX 9008
    FARMINGDALE, NY 11735-9008
    You can also download a copy of the form here.

Recycle your junk mail

  • The Town Residential Recycling program is also able to accept direct marketing materials for recycling at the Residential Recycling Drop Off Station located at the Town Landfill Site, 1319 Loudon Road (NYS Route 9). The Town Recycling program can accept any type of mail you receive that doesn't contain plastic or metals and is separated from other waste and recyclable materials so that they are not contaminated, wet or intermixed.
  • Also, several of the Waste Hauling Companies accept Direct Marketing Materials in with their Old Newspapers/Fibers recycling programs. Please contact your Waste Hauling Company to ask if they accept old mail in their recyclables collection program.
  • We recommend that each resident send their name into the registry to reduce the amount of unsolicited mail that they receive and then recycle their remaining mail. It is far better for the environment to stop generating these materials as waste and to reuse the recyclable materials than to use up our nature resources.