Royal Mail rakes in 3m a day from the unwanted junk mail that drives us mad

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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The amount of un-addressed post has soared since the company was privatised, with campaigners saying it is too difficult for householders to opt out

Households have been deluged with even more junk mail since Royal Mail was privatised, figures show.

Almost 3.2 billion items of unaddressed post were delivered in 12 months – up by 14 million in a year – earning it £3million a day, the Sunday People reports.

Royal Mail’s boss Moya Greene has seen revenues from the ­unwanted letters soar to £1.1billion a year since the firm was sold off by the Government in 2013.

And campaigners say the public are being denied the right to opt out of receiving up to seven items of unaddressed mail a week – four more than previously allowed.

Robert Rijkhoff of the Stop Junk Mail campaign said: “Royal Mail’s opt-out scheme for junk mail is hopelessly inadequate.

“It’s impossible to opt out online – Royal Mail is still working with ­paper opt-out forms and provides confusing material about the ‘consequences of opting out’ including scaring people into thinking they might not receive un-­addressed election material.

“The opt-out lasts two years, then ­expires. After that, they assume that you’re happy to receive junk mail again.”

Five years ago, the Government promised to replace the outdated system that forces residents to opt out separately with Royal Mail and the Direct Marketing Association, which represents the industry and has its own scheme.

But it has been quietly ­abandoned after ministers failed to secure the co-operation of junk mail firms.

Royal Mail’s latest annual report shows it delivered 3.1 billion items of unaddressed mail in 2014-2015. That’s almost double the 1.7 billion which was delivered annually six years ago.

The figures do not include vast quantities of addressed junk mail also delivered but which Royal Mail has no control over.

Many tonnes of junk mail end up in landfill sites – costing councils millions of pounds to handle.

Now the Local Government Association wants junk mail firms to help foot the bill.

A spokesman said: “Councils and taxpayers should not have to shoulder the cost.”

Royal Mail insists junk mail contracts are a vital source of income amid falling letter and parcel sales. A spokeswoman said: “Many households find the information contained in marketing mail useful.”

The DMA said it can stop “a significant proportion” of unaddressed mail if contacted by homeowners.

[deltaforce]

I think the money the financial figures the mirror is quoting is total hogwash. It works out we are charging over 30 p per item delivered. If that was the case we would have no d2d work whatsoever

[gand]

Just think how much the hard working postman/woman would get from d2d today if the cwu had not done that really good deal to pay us £20 a week instead of per item ;-)

[borgpicard]

Just think how much the hard working postman/woman would get from d2d today if the cwu had not done that really good deal to pay us £20 a week instead of per item ;-)

[daveyeff]

when Bob Gibson was at our office the other week he said most people only get 1 set a week so they've scored by getting 23 quid for them!! how out of touch is THAT.

[General Mannerheim]

when Bob Gibson was at our office the other week he said most people only get 1 set a week so they've scored by getting 23 quid for them!! how out of touch is THAT.

He's not out of touch....he hip, he's kicking bottom.

[rainbowwarrior72]

Keep it coming it keeps us in work