STOP THE JUNK MAIL!

• Ask credit card companies and other businesses and organizations with which you do business not to sell, rent or trade your name.
• Call (888) 567-8688 to request credit-reporting firms to delete your name from their mailing list.
• Send your name and its variations to:
  Mail Preference Service
  Direct Marketing Association
  PO Box 282
  Carmel, NY 10512
  to request that your name and its variations be deleted from the direct mail preference list.
• Send a card to:
  ADVO
  Consumer Assistance
  PO Box 249
  Windsor, CT 06905
  and request that your name and address be removed from their mailing list. Be sure to include your signature along with your request.
• Log on to NC Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance Junk Mail Web Site at www.p2pays.org/main/junk.asp or call (919) 715-6500 for more ideas on reducing junk mail.

It's not really waste until you say it's waste! "Waste" is really a resource that hasn't been used yet. The choice is yours...

More than 110,000 tons of junk mail are generated every year in North Carolina. That's about 30 pounds per person! Try these suggestions to help reduce other kinds of "waste" and turn them into resources...

• Buy only what you need. For products used in large quantities such as juice, detergent or cereal, buy in bulk.
• Buy products made of recycled materials. Recycle!
• Purchase items with the least amount of packaging possible.
• Donate unwanted items to charity or to your local swap shop.
• Make your own compost instead of using synthetic fertilizers. Buy a mulching lawnmower blade so you can mulch your grass clippings into your lawn.
• Reuse or recycle your grocery bags or take canvas bags with you when shopping.
• Walk, bike, carpool or use public transportation when possible instead of driving.
• Conserve water outside by watering lawns after sundown. Plant hardy perennials.
• Conserve water inside by washing only full loads of clothing or dishes. Fix leaky faucets. Install water-efficient faucet aerators, commodes and shower heads.
• Use nontoxic products for cleaning. Call (919) 715-6516 for details.