https://reasonstobecheerful.world/amsterdam-junk-mail-opt-in/
"The essential question is this: Can consumers decide what ends up in their
mailbox? The answer depends on where you live. Several countries, including the
U.K. and Germany, are currently preparing legal drafts to limit or ban plastic
wrapping for magazines. Beyond that, many European countries, as well as Canada
and Australia, have opt-out systems: A sticker on your mailbox signals to
postal carriers that they are not allowed to deliver bulk mail.
It’s a good start, but fewer than 27 percent of Germans use the opt-out
sticker, even though, when asked, 83 percent of Germans say they don’t want to
receive junk. “People shouldn’t have to go out of their way to not receive
something they don’t want in the first place,” says Sebastian Sielmann, the
initiator of the anti-junk mail German petition “Last Advertisement.”
To rectify this, in 2018, Amsterdam pioneered an opt-in system, and several
other Dutch cities soon followed suit. Instead of opting out of each individual
mailer as you have to in the U.S., Holland reversed the system. In order to
receive junk mail, you need to put a “Ja-Ja”-sticker on your mailbox that
declares that you want it.
Only 23 percent of Dutch households opt in. (Those who do often say they value
the coupons and special offers they find in the flyers.) Anyone who does not
opt in and still receives unwanted mail can call the city, and the sender will
be fined 500 euros (about US$560). As a result, Amsterdam is saving 6,000 tons
of paper and 700 trash runs per year."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
