Air Quality
Drinking Water
Environmental Response and Remediation
Waste Management and Radiation Control
Water Quality
Executive Director’s OfficeBy Bethany Hyatt
Do you, like me make the daily trek out to your mailbox in dread of unwanted junk mail waiting for you?
As you make that walk to the mail box, are you hoping that there isn’t only junk mail but a personal letter from a friend, or an invitation to the block party on Friday night?
As a single, apartment-dwelling, working woman, I personally don’t want, or pay attention to, 
most of the mail that appears day-after-day in my mail box.
While the oversized glossy ad about the new, super-powered lawnmowers on sale at the local hardware store is flashy. I’m really not a fan of receiving junk mail that clearly has zero relevance to me.
Add on the countless credit card offers, insurance deals and too-good-to-be-true deals, and I’m drowning in wasted paper.
I’m guessing that I’m probably not the only person in Utah that loathes receiving loads of irrelevant junk mail every day.
Here are a few things I’ve done to cut down on my junk mail:
- I’m not a big shopper, so I pass along the weekly local coupons to my neighbor—a mother of four who is working to get the most from every hard-earned dollar.
- I created an account with TrustedID that helps me self-select which catalogs, phone books and mailing lists I want to unsubscribe from. Going through the site also helped me to identify companies that, while I do pay for certain services, send me loads of junk trying to upsell me for other services. The site was helpful in guiding me through the steps I needed to take to request a halt to unwanted solicitations.
- I’ve been making inquiries to see what recycling options are available for me and my neighbors to recycle our paper goods, since my apartment complex currently does not offer convenient recycling dumpsters. Wish me luck!
You can start managing your mail today using DMA Choice. The great thing about stopping unwanted mail delivery is that you are saving trees. This small action also helps to conserve water and reduce waste in the landfill.
It’s a win-win for everyone!
I am a new face at DEQ, just having started Fall 2013 in the Office of Planning and Public Affairs. Raised in Utah, I have many fond memories of exploring Utah’s State Parks with my family. Goblin Valley State Park is hands down my favorite destination. I graduated from BYU with a degree in communications, I’m a proud BYU football season ticket holder (go Cougars!), and I love the Wasatch Mountains in the fall.