I first wrote a guide to stamping out junk mail in 2007. The first version of the guide contained just a few quick tips for cutting back on junk mail but it quickly grew in size. The guide's structure itself remained largely the same; it had chapters for addressed mail, unaddressed mail and other junk mail (such as "To the Occupier" items and paper directories), with lots of "top tips" and links to opt-out schemes.

This guide is different. The focus is on how junk mail is and should be regulated. It still mentions all the opt-out schemes you can register with but it also explain why most of these schemes are designed to be useless. The Your Choice Dummy Scheme, for instance, can only be described as a parody on an opt-out service.

There are some things you can do to cut back in junk mail, in particular if the junk mail is addressed to you personally. However, junk mail leaflets are pretty much unstoppable — the best way to deal with them is to deposit them in your nearest pillar box. If you stumbled upon this page in the hope of finding a "top tip" for dealing with junk mail, there you have it.

If you are looking for a "proper", short practical guide then you can visit Citizens Advice or Which. Their information is an up to date and very condensed version of my old guide to stamping out junk mail.