Stop junk mail

[ScottBen]

There are various opt out schemes such as Royal Mail Door-to-Door, Your Choice preference, mailing preference service and others...
Has anyone signed up to any of these and if so have you noticed any change to the volume of junk mail you get delivered?
I get reams of the stuff every day. I just gave my details to junk buster.org only for them to send me an Email saying they no longer provide any service, so basically I've given someone my personal details for nothing.
How do these schemes work? The postman is told to push the junk through every door, how would he know that I've opted out?
In desperation I've put a "NO JUNK MAIL" sign on my letterbox which has become a game with the postman who chooses to ignore it.
I stand behind the door and wait for his junk deliveries, then wrench the door open and give him it all back, saying don't give me rubbish to throw away - put it in the bin yourself!
Is there actually an effective means of stopping unsolicited mail?

[Andyvon]

Hi ScottBen,

I contacted my Post Office about this a couple of years ago and they said they couldn't stop delivering junk mail. When I mentioned it to the postman he told me that's because Royal Mail get paid for delivering it. Each postman also gets paid for delivering junk mail (1p per house I think) and Royal Mail have anonymous householders along the routes who spotcheck the junk mail is actually being delivered and not dumped. The postman said junk mail makes up a good part of his income.

I don't have much problem with it as it goes straight in the bin. However, the amount of trees and oil for ink used to supply junk mail must be horrendous. When my wife and I come home after a couple of weeks away we can often fill most of our bin with the junk mail that's collected in that time!

[moonraker558]

If there are any freepost return forms attached send them back unwritten, that way you are helping to keep our postie's in work and the firm responsable for sending the things out in the first place get to pay for the empty return forms being sent back to them.

[theshedman]

Hi, I just cross out my name and put return to sender on the envelope. After a while they seem to get the message. I was told that they have to pay to have the stuff returned to them.

[ScottBen]

Hi Andyvon,
I thought so too, (contractually obliged to deliver) I know it shouldn't wind me up as much as it does, Just a pet hate of mine.
Hi moonraker and shedman,
Great advice! I'll start doing that instead of putting it straight in the bin.

Thanks all

[johnk]

I used to put everything even the old envelope in the return envelope and send it back, that way it becomes the senders junk.