[komali2]

It does seem really weird that somehow a business relationship between spam companies and the United States postal service means that I have to be responsible for recycling a bunch of garbage.

Once it's in my mailbox, what can I do, drop it on the ground? That's littering and a crime. Leave it in my mailbox? I tried that and the mailman eventually stuck a Post-It note on my box saying I wasn't allowed to do that.

So I'm in some sort of weird uncontracted relationship wherein I must ferry a bunch of paper from my box to the recycling bin.

[craftyguy]

> Leave it in my mailbox?

I tried this with a twist, I wrote "return to sender" on it. Mail(wo)man also said "you cannot do this."

[DoofusOfDeath]

Have you tried marking the spam "return to sender" and dropping it in a public poastal box?

[craftyguy]

I did, postal worker said "you cannot do this."

I'm curious if there's a list of things like this that the USPS explicitly does not allow..

[dingaling]

I have a couple of strategies:

1. Open the envelope and look for a pre-franked reply envelope. If there is one, stuff the junk into that and post it. Extra revenue for the postal service.

2. If it is a really persistent and annoying sender, mutilate my address and post it. This should result in it being routed back to the sender but does impose extra work on the postal service.

[craftyguy]

Oh yes, I've done #1 before. My favorite is to stuff a credit card A offer return envelope with the crap from a credit card B offer, and vice versa. Sometimes if they really piss me off, I'll throw in a few heavy things (rocks, etc) so they pay extra. A small ziplock bag full of sand fits very nicely, and weighs (relatively) a lot. I've yet to try taping a return envelope to a large box, but it seems like the postal service would accept it and charge them accordingly, right?

[PhasmaFelis]

> I've yet to try taping a return envelope to a large box, but it seems like the postal service would accept it and charge them accordingly, right?

Sadly, I think the USPS now refuses to deliver those, after a rash of people taping return envelopes to cinder blocks a few decades back.

[UncleEntity]

> Leave it in my mailbox?

I used to do that until the mailman decided I didn't live here anymore...twice.

Now I apparently don't have a mailing address though the only bill I could never successfully get converted to all electronic (not from lack of trying) is the power company which messes them up every so often getting their bills returned every month.

[koboll]

It does seem like there is a procedure to refuse mail- http://refuseyourmail.cooperjr.name/how-to

[ensignavenger]

I don't think there is any law requiring you to have a mailbox, if you don't want to receive mail?