The Sun newspaper has declared that the number could be up for phone books.
“More than 75 million are delivered to UK homes each year but a campaign begins today to slash this figure to cut waste. Online directory service 192.com and Global Action Plan want us to “opt in” to get a new directory.”
Leo Hickman, Environment Editor at the Guardian, comments today on the ‘Say No To Phonebooks’ campaign today:
“But the point about this particular campaign is that it is pointing out that a significant percentage of people (including me – and, yes, I will now be opting out, now that I know about it) don’t want these things left on their doorstep. Whereas with a newspaper I ‘opt in’ by going into a newsagent and buying one – they are not left on my doorstep unwanted alongside all the other junk mail we have to put up with. (Of course, there is a debate to had about the distribution method of freesheets.) Personally, I think this opt-in idea for phonebooks is a good one – a bit like why people are arguing for organ donations to be operated (sorry) on an opt-out basis. It just makes sense. Period.”
Today, 192.com officially launches the Downing St e-petition as part of its ‘Say No To Phoneboks’ campaign. If you believe that we should have a choice whether 3 telephone directories a year are dumped on our doorsteps, then sign the e-petition now: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/NoPhonebooks/
The annual production of phonebooks in the UK equates to 62,000 tons of waste – enough to cover Hyde Park, two phonebooks deep! You can also see what phonebooks are costing the earth on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg4VEKqQvNc
You’re welcome to add this viral to your own website to help spread the world about the totally unnecessary waste of natural resources that goes into unwanted phonebooks. Find instructions in the top right hand corner our YouTube page.
According to Scientific American, research from White pages in the U.S. notes that less than 16 percent of adults recycle their old or unwanted phone books. The company is sponsoring a “Ban the Phone Book“ initiative to encourage phone book “opt-in” delivery programs. The plans which require subscribers to request the books, are already appearing in areas such as Georgia, Ohio and Florida. Other areas do offer an opt-out system.
News today from Malta that the traditional telephone directory could be ditched after almost 60 per cent of respondents to a recent Malta Communications Authority survey said they never used the printed directory. The MCA also noted that a printed books goes out of date too quickly in today’s world and that online services are much better solution to ensure data was correct and up-to-date:
As local councils are starting to crack down on unwanted phonebook deliveries in the US, the Yellow Pages Association is pre-empting mandatory opt-outs by finally launching its own opt-out website. Something we should be doing on this side of the pond?
The latest news from the US is that momentum is building to offer an adequate opt-out facility for the delivery of printed phonebooks with some telcos going so far as to propose the introduction of an opt-in facility, thereby dramatically reducing the number of books produced.
According to the Kelsey Group, legislation has been introduced in Minnesota and Albany, New York, to compel Yellow Pages publishers to make it easy for consumers to opt out. While other directory publishers continue to refine their own programs in the hope of demonstrating genuine self-regulation, thus avoiding having regulations imposed on them. Read more >
And just this week AT&T Ohio called for a waiver of the rule that requires the company to distribute printed white pages after a similar request by Cincinnati Bell recently. The company is calling it an ‘environmentally friendly initiative’ that it believes many of its customers will appreciate . An AT&T spokeswoman said, “There are ways to obtain this information electronically.” The company also proposes the provision of a toll free directory enquiries number as a substitute. The article claims that the company distributes 800,000 of the books annually in Columbus alone! Read more >
If the telcos themselves are calling for a reduction in the number of printed directories produced, the demise of the phonebook must be near….
Yes, we’ve been a bit quiet of late but its all as we prepare for a massive 2009. More to come shortly, much more… But keep your comments and emails rolling in. It seems the support for this campaign just continues to grow.
So the report goes, the price paid by the Far East for paper recycling has fallen so much that it may no longer be viable to ship this waste off for re-processing. The only other option? Incineration or landfill!
Well there’s 75 million tonnes of phonebooks we could stop producing right now to save such a cost to local councils but more importantly, the earth. If only households had a right to say no!
