Report: Junk mail is "lifeblood" of the Post Office

Guess who's not in favor of a "Do Not Mail" registry—besides by-mail marketers, that is? Believe it or not, it's the U.S. Postal Service, according to a recent report. And environmental groups aren't too keen on the idea, either.

According to the Washington Post, U.S. postmasters are pushing lawmakers to kill legislation that might threaten the flow of junk mail—yes, the paper variety—in our mailboxes.

Why? Because junk mail—or "standard" mail, as its euphemistically called by postal workers—is "the lifeblood of the U.S. Postal Service and that jobs depend on it," according to the Post story.

The article goes on to say that the Post Office has joined forces with the Direct Marketing Association in an effort to stop Do Not Mail proposals in their tracks—and it's worked, notes the Post, which points out that no Do Not Mail initiatives proposed since 2007 have become law.

And here's where it gets even crazier. You'd think that environmental groups would be up in arms about the Post Office's attempts to keep junk mail flowing, right?

Well, here's the thing: As the Post reports, non-profits (including many environmental groups) send out about as much junk mail as anyone. Take the National Wildlife Foundation, which happens to be a member of...you guessed it, the Direct Marketing Association.

So, is there anything you can do to staunch the flow of garbage heading for your mailbox? Well, there's Catalog Choice, a service set up by non-profits (presumably feeling guilty about their own direct-mail efforts) that's essentially a voluntary Do Not Mail directory for catalog mailers. And the Direct Marketing Association has its own voluntary service: DMAChoice.org.

Meanwhile, I guess we'll just have to steel ourselves for more (and more) letters from the persistent Pat W. Johnson, the Director of New Accounts at Capital One.

Related:
Efforts to Block Junk Mail Slowed [Washington Post]