• The Washington Post, Thursday, March 6, 2008 12:15 PM

A new trend in consumer activism--do-not-mail lists pending in 18 states --threatens to reduce deliveries of catalogues and other "junk mail" even as the souring economy, online bill paying and declining credit-card offers resulted in the first December ever in which mail volume was less than the previous year.

Standard mail--advertising circulars, catalogues, fundraising appeals --actually grew to 104 billion pieces in 2007 from 101 billion in 2005 as first -class volume dropped. The explosion has not gone unnoticed by consumers. Many are asking lawmakers for a national "do not mail" registry similar to the telemarketing Do Not Call phone registry, where advertisers would have to stop mailing catalogs and other unwanted mail to anyone on the list.

Postal officials are expecting an operating deficit of $1 billion this year, the largest since 1995, and are looking for creative solutions. Postmaster General John E. Potter wants to explore renting space in the 37,000 post offices across the country to banks and other commercial interests. He says, however, that legal restrictions could get in the way of, say, installing a Starbucks in a post office.

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