Recycling and waste

Waste Strategy factsheets

Direct Mail

The Waste Strategy contains the following new policies:

  • Government has agreed with the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) that the DMA will develop an opt-out system to enable people to opt-out of receiving unaddressed mail. People can already opt-out of receiving addressed mail.
  • Government will also be exploring with the DMA whether an opt in system would be an appropriate mechanism to further reduce unwanted direct mail. Under this system people would only get junk mail if they opted in by placing their name on the direct mail register.
The existing voluntary agreement

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA), which represents about 900 members involved in the direct mail and promotions industry, signed an agreement with Government in July 2003 to raise recycling levels to:

  • 30% by the end of 2005
  • 55% by the end of 2009
  • 70 % by the end of 2013

The DMA also pledged to:

  • work with local authorities to promote collection of DM&P material for recycling;
  • increase the use of recycled paper;
  • avoid using materials which might cause problems with the recycling process; and
  • reduce waste by improving targeting of addressed direct mail and by publicising services such as the Mailing Preference Service (MPS), to enable people to stop receiving addressed direct mail.

Separate voluntary agreements apply to newspapers and magazines.

What progress has been achieved?

In 2003 only about 13% of direct mail was recycled. The DMA has recently estimated that this figure rose to 28% in 2005. However the 28% figure does not take account of direct mail collected for recycling at bring and civic amenity sites. Since 2003, registrations with the Mailing Preference Service have doubled. The amount of addressed direct mail has fallen by about 5%.

Why was this further action on direct mail needed?

Government wishes to see the amount of unnecessary direct mail, and therefore waste, minimised. According to the regulator (Postcomm) unaddressed mail outnumbers addressed mail by 4 to 1. It is also estimated that unaddressed direct mail is increasing by 1-2% a year.

Many responses to our 2006 consultation showed that householders and local authorities felt more action was needed to tackle direct mail. For some householders this constitutes a useful marketing service but others are keen to reduce waste from what is often an unsolicited source.

Why has the Government not banned unwanted ‘junk mail’ outright?

A voluntary approach allows industry the maximum opportunity to develop ways of increasing recycling and reducing waste together with Government. Progress has been achieved with the existing voluntary agreement and this can be built upon.

Key facts and figures

  • Postcomm estimates that 3.4 billion items of addressed direct mail and 13 billion items of unaddressed direct mail were sent out in 2005/6.
  • Direct mail and promotions material accounts for around 550,000 tonnes of paper: 4.4% of the UK’s annual consumption of paper and board. It includes:
    • Direct mail - individually addressed advertising messages, which accounts for about 181,500 tonnes;
    • Unaddressed door drops - including advertisements posted by hand; and
    • Inserts - advertising material in magazines and newspapers, which together account for 368,500 tonnes.

Further sources of information

Page last modified: 18 June 2007
Page published: 24 May 2007

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs