LEAFLET drops and junk mail delivered by Royal Mail are now back with a vengeance.

This is despite studies showing that some strains of coronavirus live for up to five days on paper, schools are being advised that stationery should not be shared, and we are urged not to use paper money.

So over 70s, vulnerable citizens, and all those ‘staying alert’ have to don gloves, dispose of these unwanted leaflets and letters in the recycling bin, wipe down any door handles, bins, etc we have touched, and wash our hands and then apply skin moisturiser because washing our hands so much leads to skin rashes. So we have to pay in cash and time to receive something that many of us don’t want and didn’t ask for.

Is it time we junked [vb. discard] the junk [n. rubbish] mail – from leaflet drops and the Royal Mail?

Junk mail leaflets waste trees, even if recycled paper is used; they are usually printed on glossy paper which, unlike newsprint, does not compost easily. The delivery people don’t read our polite “no leaflets, catalogues, free newspapers” letter box stickers.

Sir David Attenborough in April this year urged politicians to address “the biggest problem humanity has ever faced” with the threats of pollution and climate change. This was our last chance to change our behaviour - people must “stop waste of any kind”.

Save lives, save the planet, and just ban the whole unnecessary business of junk mail.

I suggest that leaflet drops and all ‘unaddressed’ mail is banned straight away during this pandemic; that should give a year or two for a sensible customer-based scheme to be worked out for leaflet drops, Royal Mail and other mail deliverers.

Michael Rudd, Darlington