7 questions on junk mail

Midweek quiz

Until now, the amount of unsolicited mail delivered by posties has been limited by a union deal... a limit scrapped now the Royal Mail industrial dispute has been settled. How much do you know about the junk mail landing on the doormat?

1.) Multiple Choice Question

Under this now-defunct agreement, what was the limit on delivering "unaddressed mail" per home?

1. Three items a day
   
2. Six items a week
   
3. Three items a week
   

2.) Multiple Choice Question

And on which day of the week was there a ban on delivering such items?

1. Saturday
   
2. Sunday
   
3. Trick question - there was no such ban
   

3.) Multiple Choice Question

We might call it junk mail, but the Royal Mail refers to it as "unaddressed mail". What's the preferred term among companies sending it out?

1. Unsolicited mail
   
2. Direct mail
   
3. Targeted mail
   

4.) Multiple Choice Question

Which company topped the annual list of big spenders on direct marketing campaigns?

1. BSkyB
   
2. BT
   
3. MBNA Europe financial services
   
4. Tesco
   

5.) Multiple Choice Question

According to the Direct Marketing Association, junk mail makes up what proportion of household waste?

1. 2%
   
2. 10%
   
3. 20%
   

6.) Multiple Choice Question

How many people are thought to have opted out of receiving such items?

1. Less than 1% of population
   
2. About 10% of population
   
3. About 25% of population
   

7.) Multiple Choice Question

You can opt out of receiving the phonebooks delivered by Yell, Thomson Local, BT and other companies.

1. True
   
2. False
   

Answers

1. The limit was three items per home a week. The agreement between Royal Mail and the postal workers' union states: "To coincide with the introduction of the national agreement unit payments will cease and the three-items-per-week cap will be removed."
2. Saturday was the day no such items could be delivered. Posties don't deliver mail on Sundays. Royal Mail and rivals such as UK Mail and TNT deliver some 17.5bn items of unsolicited mail a year - 78% to households, 22% to businesses.
3. The senders like to call it "direct mail", and the professional association is called the Direct Marketing Association.
4. It was BSkyB, according to Nielsen Media Research. Virgin Media and BT also ranked high on the list. Previous big spenders such as banks and other financial services pegged back their spending somewhat.
5. The association says its deliveries account for 2% of household waste on average, and most items are recycled. And all but a fraction of the items use non-recycled or non-sustainable sources for their paper, says Consumer Focus, a publicly funded watchdog.
6. It's thought to be less than 1% of the population - but Royal Mail will not release its figures. There are several opt-out schemes, although none cover the tide of pizza menus, supermarket flyers and minicab cards delivered by local entrepreneurs.
7. You can opt out of phonebook deliveries, but it involves contacting each organisation individually.

Your Score

0 - 3 : Credit card offers and pizza leaflets

4 - 6 : A letter! Oh. It's a bill

7 - 7 : Proper letters. And cards. With cheques inside

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