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

Mail Scams Targeting Seniors: The Two Predators in the Mailbox, and How to Stop Each One

To protect an elderly parent from mail scams, treat the mailbox as two separate problems: opt out of legal-but-predat...

Jun 6, 2026 · 14 min read
Guides

How to Stop Catalogs in the Mail (and Why They Keep Coming Back)

To stop catalogs in the mail, ask each sender to remove your exact name and address. You have three routes, from most...

Jun 4, 2026 · 10 min read
Guides

What Does PRSRT STD Mean on Your Mail?

PRSRT STD stands for Presorted Standard, the bulk advertising postage class that USPS now also calls USPS Marketing M...

Jun 3, 2026 · 6 min read
Guides

Junk Mail Address Label Codes: A Field Guide to What’s on the Label

Every code on a junk mail label belongs to one of three groups. Distribution codes (the asterisk line ending in ECRLO...

Jun 3, 2026 · 7 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

Mail Scams Targeting Seniors: The Two Predators in the Mailbox, and How to Stop Each One

To protect an elderly parent from mail scams, treat the mailbox as two separate problems: opt out of legal-but-predatory companies and charities, and report…

Jun 6, 2026 · 14 min read
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Guides

How to Stop Catalogs in the Mail (and Why They Keep Coming Back)

To stop catalogs in the mail, ask each sender to remove your exact name and address. You have three routes, from most to least…

Jun 4, 2026 · 10 min read
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Guides

What Does PRSRT STD Mean on Your Mail?

PRSRT STD stands for Presorted Standard, the bulk advertising postage class that USPS now also calls USPS Marketing Mail. The sender pre-sorted the mailing…

Jun 3, 2026 · 6 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

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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Perspectives

Earth Day 2026 – Stop Junk Mail and Plant Trees

PaperKarma’s Earth Day 2026 effort helps users turn junk-mail opt-outs into tree plantings. During April 2026, PaperKarma will plant trees for qualifying opt-out activity,…

Apr 22, 2026 · 3 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

Recycling Paper Junk Mail: What You Need to Know

Tossing paper junk mail in the recycling bin is pretty much second nature these days. Sorting through the ads and offers is annoying for…

Feb 12, 2021 · 5 min read
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Research

How Junk Mail Impacts the Environment

It’s no mystery that junk mail has a terrible impact on the environment. Opening your mailbox to find it stuffed full of unwanted mail…

Oct 26, 2018 · 5 min read
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Research

Why Retailers Ask For Your Zip Code

Eye-opening post from the New York Times about why retailers ask for your zip code. Ask a merchant why they need your zip code,…

Apr 4, 2013 · 2 min read
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