France cracks down on junk mail with trial opt-in system

Scheme will be tried in certain areas for three years, and environmental groups hope it will be rolled out across country

France is cracking down on the tonnes of unsolicited junk mail and advertising brochures put through letterboxes each year, warning of unnecessary waste and damage to the environment.

For more than a decade, households in France that do not want to receive piles of unaddressed advertising leaflets have been able to put a sticker on their letterbox saying no to advertising". But the government acknowledged this approach had failed and has changed tack.