According to one online organization working to eliminate junk mail, the average adult receives 41 pounds of junk mail each year, 44 percent of which goes to the landfill unopened. Sadly, much of it is from charities that are doing good in the world and sending mail to vy for our charitable donations.

Dear Mary: You recently wrote about paper shredders, which made me think about all the unwanted address labels my mother receives from charities. She has made a few donations other the years and is now bombarded with unwanted mailing labels, cards, calendars, books — you name it. Some of the stuff can be given or thrown away, but what do you do with all the labels? If you try shredding them, they jam up your shredder.

I've tried writing "Refused, Return to Sender" on the envelopes, but the post office refuses to send them back. Any ideas on how can you get this type of mail stopped or get rid of all the address labels? — Peg

Dear Peg: According to Charity Navigator, the nation's largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities, there is no regulation that mandates that charities and nonprofits honor your requests to opt out of their mailing lists. Additionally, the USPS grants the return and forward options to first-class mail, not the lower and cheaper postage typically used to send out junk mail. However, these free services may still be of help.

The Direct Marketing Association Mail Preference Service program maintains a list of individuals who do not wish to receive unsolicited mail. Be sure to specify that you do not wish to receive solicitations from both commercial and charitable organizations. If you fail to do so, then the DMA will automatically place your name on the list provided to for-profit entities only.

You can report unwanted mail to Catalog Choice, and it will process your request.

As for the sheets of labels that charities often send as a gift, I've never experienced them jamming my shredder. But if this is a problem for you, another option is to tear the labels and dispose of them in trash.

It is a shame that a heartfelt donation to a worthy cause can so often result in a flood of junk mail. An easy way to avoid that in the future is to give anonymously by taking advantage of Charity Navigator's Giving Basket, which lets you decide how much personal information you want to share with the charity — from full contact information to none at all. Giving anonymously kills two birds with one stone: The charity can neither pester you with endless appeals nor sell your contact information to others. Hope that helps. For the links mentioned in this column visit www.everydaycheapskate.com/junkmail.

Mary invites questions, comments and tips at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or c/o Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Suite B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website and the author of "Debt-Proof Living," released in 2014. To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.