Last year, I decided to keep all of the junk mail I received so I could have a visual of what all the paper amounted to. I counted them up today. 110 pieces!
Because my partner and I donate money to a wide variety of non-profits each year, our names end up on mailing lists. And those lists, no doubt, get sold or shared with other organizations looking for financial donations.
Every time I received junk mail, I wrote the date I received it and my contact date on the envelope. I contacted the organization, either by email or through a form on their website, asking that my name be removed from their mailing list. Sometimes I got no response, other times I got very polite responses. The worst offender in terms of the number of mail pieces received ended up in a tie – with NAACP and Planned Parenthood sending me 7 pieces each.
Many organizations included chotchkies with their pleas for money, including address labels, greeting cards, note pads, prayer flags, key chains, nickels, reusable bags, blankets, and bracelets. I donate all of this to local charity organizations.
All this junk mail seems like a huge waste of paper to me. I wonder if I could somehow incorporate this paper from the mailings into my art?
Rachel Imsland, Artist 
I’ve always despised junk mail, it infuriates me, really. I have included lots of strips of ads in my multi-media work, but I never want to advertise for them, so you have to be careful what shows! I’ve also considered turning the pile of paper into a clay-mulch substance that might be turned into sculpture? Anything to avoid the landfill!
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Good ideas. And yes, I thought about re-making paper with them. I think I need a screen for that. Thanks Tiffany!
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It always is refreshing to read your posts, Rachel. Thank you for this reminder of a simple job to do at home that has an environmental impact.
Susan Hoffman
On Thu, Jan 27, 2022 at 2:25 PM Rachel Imsland, Artist wrote:
> Rachel Imsland posted: ” Last year, I decided to keep all of the junk mail > I received so I could have a visual of what all the paper amounted to. I > counted them up today. 110 pieces! 110 pieces of junk mail for 2021 Because > my partner and I donate money to a wide varie” >
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Thank you Susan!
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