PaperKarma articles

Research, tactics, and perspectives on stopping junk mail.

Practical guides, original research, and editorial context from the team that's processed 10M+ opt-outs since 2011.

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Guides

Catalog Choice Review 2026: What It Is and Does It Work?

Catalog Choice is a free nonprofit website where you search a catalog by name and submit an opt-out request for that...

Aug 27, 2026 · 10 min read
Guides

DMAchoice Review 2026: Junk Mail’s Honor System

Review of the national mail opt-out registry: cost, coverage gaps, and when an app is a better fit for stopping junk...

Aug 21, 2026 · 9 min read
Guides

How to Stop Credit Card Offers in the Mail

To stop credit card offers in the mail, opt out of preapproved offers at OptOutPrescreen. Then opt-out of all other c...

Aug 2, 2026 · 9 min read
Guides

OptOutPrescreen: Is It Legit, and What Does It Actually Stop? A 2026 Review

OptOutPrescreen is the legitimate, official website for stopping prescreened (preapproved) credit and insurance offer...

Aug 1, 2026 · 11 min read
Guides

How to Stop Junk Mail: Guides & Tactics

Step-by-step guides for stopping junk mail by sender, by service, and by category.

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Guides

Catalog Choice Review 2026: What It Is and Does It Work?

Catalog Choice is a free nonprofit website where you search a catalog by name and submit an opt-out request for that catalog. The Story…

Aug 27, 2026 · 10 min read
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Guides

DMAchoice Review 2026: Junk Mail’s Honor System

Review of the national mail opt-out registry: cost, coverage gaps, and when an app is a better fit for stopping junk mail.

Aug 21, 2026 · 9 min read
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Guides

OptOutPrescreen: Is It Legit, and What Does It Actually Stop? A 2026 Review

OptOutPrescreen is the legitimate, official website for stopping prescreened (preapproved) credit and insurance offers: the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires the four credit bureaus…

Aug 1, 2026 · 11 min read
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Perspectives

Perspectives on Junk Mail

Editorial reflections on junk mail, culture, sustainability, and the mailbox.

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Perspectives

Better Robots Won’t Fix Recycling. So What To Do with Junk Mail?

For junk mail, it is better to reduce it than to recycle it. Smarter sorting robots can identify almost anything on a conveyor belt,…

Jun 11, 2026 · 7 min read
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Perspectives

7 Times Obscene Mail Scandalized America (and the Opt-Out Superpower It Left You)

Yes, you can stop obscene mail – i.e. mail YOU find sexually explicit. Under the Pandering Advertisements Statute (39 U. S. C. 3008), any…

May 29, 2026 · 7 min read
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Perspectives

USPS Junk Mail: Would Banning It Bankrupt the Postal Service?

No. Banning junk mail would not bankrupt the US Postal Service. Mostly because USPS is already losing money on a scale junk mail can’t…

May 28, 2026 · 9 min read
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Research

Junk Mail Research and Analysis

Original PaperKarma data, environmental analysis, industry decoders, and reporting.

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Research

How Junk Mail Impacts the Environment

Junk mail environmental impact: is it real? Yes, but beware of older, often repeated statistics: U.S. advertising mail used about 2.14 million tons of…

Jun 10, 2026 · 7 min read
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Research

What Actually Happens to Junk Mail You Recycle

Junk mail is recycled, but at a rate no household can verify and that official sources do not agree on. Industry puts the 2024…

Jun 9, 2026 · 7 min read
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Research

Why Retailers Ask for Your ZIP Code (and Where It Ends Up)

Retailers ask for your ZIP code at checkout primarily for marketing. Combined with the name on your credit card, a five-digit ZIP is often…

Apr 4, 2013 · 7 min read
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