How To Stop Unwanted Phone Books

Back in September, fellow blogger Ransom asked how to stop unwanted phone books. I have long wondered this myself, as I use the internet for all my phone number lookups. Now, I don't think the phone book is a bad thing -- it's just something that I don't need, and it gets old picking up the new phone book and dumping it right in the recycling bin. So after a little research, today I'll offer the long-sought answer to this problem. Yes folks, you can finally stop the delivery of phone books you don't want, effectively short-circuiting the recent routine of phone book delivery and immediate recycling.

Thanks to Shelby Wood of The Oregonian, stopping the phone books is just a click (or call, or actually several calls) away. Wood writes:

GET FEWER PHONE BOOKS Several Web sites claim to be able to remove you from phone book delivery lists, but there's no guarantee publishers will honor any third-party request. For now, the best way to reduce or eliminate deliveries is to contact each publisher. DEX/Qwest: Go to dexknows.com; select "directory options" at bottom of page; click through screens until you see "personalize your directory order." Under "available directories in your area," choose 0, 1, 2 or 3 from pull-down menus. Or call (800) 422-8793, press 2 to speak with a person Yellow Book: (800) 929-3556, press 3 to speak with a person Idearc/Verizon: (800) 888-8448, remain on line to speak to a person Other phone books: Check for a phone number for customer service or "to order directories" on front cover or inside page Recycling: Outdated or unwanted phone books can be included in curbside carts More information: • Yellow Pages Association • Product Stewardship Institute's Phone Book Project

And to the above I'll add a bit from Common Craft:

AT&T/YellowPages (formerly SBC and Bell South): 1.800.792.2665

Read the rest of Wood's article for an interesting analysis of phone book statistics -- including this fact: "a whopping 80 percent [of phone books] will end up in a landfill."

See also: do not call lists and The Trouble with Phone Books.