To cut back on unwanted mail, join a free catalog-reduction service.

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RODALE NEWSROOM, EMMAUS, PA—The nation’s largest free catalog-reduction service recently signed up its one-millionth customer, helping people opt out of receiving more than 162.3 million catalogs during its first year in operation. A major mailing association joined the waste-reduction efforts in September, prompting many big-name retailers to stop sending catalogs to people who sign up for the opt-out service.

THE DETAILS: Catalog Choice saves energy and reduces the pollution and waste created through the production, delivery and disposal of unwanted retail catalogs. Companies don’t necessarily have to honor the Catalog Choice request to stop sending unsolicited mail, but in late September, the American Catalog Mailers Association put pressure on catalogers to honor consumer preference requests made through Catalog Choice. And so far, it’s working. Participating merchants include powerhouses like Pottery Barn, L.L. Bean, Office Depot, Williams-Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, REI and Urban Outfitters. “Catalog Choice is by far the most successful online mail-reduction service ever, and as we approach another holiday season, we expect it will continue to grow and become even more effective, now that catalogers—en masse—are on board with its missions,” says Natural Resources Defense Council spokeswoman Jenny Powers. NRDC is one of the major environmental groups endorsing the Ecology Center sponsored mail-reduction service.