09.Aug.2010 Aussies Call Time on Phone Books
According to environmentals in Australia, “Telephone books are obsolete in the digital age and should be available only to people who request them”. Read the full article >>
They want the number of directories printed – more than 22.5 million in 2009-10 (52,000 tonnes of paper) – to be cut dramatically, saying many households do not want them.
The Telstra business that makes the directories, Sensis, said a website making it easier for people to opt out of getting the books should be ready next month. The current opt-out system has been criticised as too difficult to use and therefore opt-out rates are low. The same can be said for the UK, only here we have at least 3 different publishers that need to be contacted. When will an centralised opt-out system be available here?
The Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, has gone further and called for an opt-in system instead saying, ”There is increasing community concern about the waste of producing and delivering telephone directories to all households, given so many people use directories online.”
Could we see London’s Lord Mayor calling for something similar?
