Despite post office stickers: Unauthorised people stick unsolicited advertising labels on letterboxes in Luxembourg – The Mouvement Ecologique calls on the political authorities to put an end to this practice

From January 2024, advertising may only be distributed to households in Luxembourg if residents expressly express this wish by affixing a sticker to their letterbox. The Mouvement Ecologique expressly welcomes this change, as well as the fact that the post office provides households with prefabricated stickers for this purpose.

However, it is not permissible for unknown persons to stick such stickers on letterboxes without the consent of the owners. The Mouvement Ecologique has been campaigning for years against the flood of advertising in letterboxes and the associated waste of paper. Around 30 years ago, the organisation invented the small bright yellow sticker with the words “Keng Reklammen! wgl.”, which now adorns the majority of letterboxes.

When it was first introduced, the sticker was not always respected, but today it is considered an institution in Luxembourg. Thousands of tonnes of paper have been saved over the decades with its help, according to projections by the Mouvement Ecologique. Recent estimates show that around 23,000 fewer trees have been felled over the years thanks to the sticker.

Since then, a rethink has taken place in Luxembourg and with the new year, a law will finally come into force that reverses the situation. From January 2024, households that wish to receive advertising must explicitly state this on their letterboxes by affixing a sign or sticker to this effect.

The Mouvement Ecologique expressly welcomes this. This can potentially save a lot of raw materials and the citizens of Luxembourg will no longer be inconvenienced by unwanted mail.

In the opinion of the Mouvement Ecologique, the fact that stickers are now being placed on letterboxes without the consent of the residents is unacceptable. The Mouvement Ecologique is calling on politicians to put an end to this practice as quickly as possible.

This is all the more problematic as the post office distributes stickers that residents can affix voluntarily. The Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of the Interior (responsible for internal security) and the affected municipalities are particularly called upon to take action.

Read the entire press release in the downloads.

14.12.2023