Cancel phone books to tackle climate change

[Still Waters]

Households are being asked to opt out of receiving their annual phone book to stop thousands of tonnes of paper being dumped in landfill every year.

Unwanted phone books left on doorsteps or dumped in the bin cost councils more than £7 million every year to clear up.

The Local Government Association (LGA) said the money could be used on more important services and have launched a campaign asking households to cancel the service.

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[War Eagle]

Uh oh one my neighbor's not going be happy, he's been recycling the pages for years...

Looks like he might actually have to start buying his toilet paper in the future.

[Paramys]

they come in useful actually for paper mache projects and for rolling cigerettes for some people (im an ex smoker and did this alot) and for standing on to reach high places i even use 2 of them to stand my tower fan on in the summer so its off the floor circling cool air higher up. if they stop these im gonna have to resort to collecting a few argos catalogues to replace the yellow pages.

[Barnacle Battlefront]

I don't actually see how this will help the environment. What they should be doing is encouraging people to recycle them, instead of dumping them in landfill. I'd be lost without my phonebook

[SRCivic98]

they come in useful actually for paper mache projects and for rolling cigerettes for some people (im an ex smoker and did this alot) and for standing on to reach high places i even use 2 of them to stand my tower fan on in the summer so its off the floor circling cool air higher up. if they stop these im gonna have to resort to collecting a few argos catalogues to replace the yellow pages.

they also come in handy if you're looking to knock some sense into someone. then you look down on them and say "pick a number". but in all seriousness, I would recycle a phone book not cancel the order. I use a phone book more than technology on the internet or 411 on the telephone. It just means that I read. Like Robin Williams stated people would be lost if technology and electricity went out the window. he even made a joke about when Twitter went down the other day and people started going nuts and how a person now would look at a book and go "what's that?" answer "a book" then they would jump and hiss away from it like a vampire from garlic, haha. Then explained how parents would have to translate everything they say in order to talk to their kids. But it's not only that, why would you want to use 411 anyways? at least by using a phone book you're doing a human thing and don't have the wait to speak to real person after you've pressed the whole entire god dang number pad on the phone because then you feel like screaming or just go "SCREW IT!!!! I'll go outside and find it my dang self!" Yeah canceling a phone book would be a stupindest idea while we're at it how about we cancel the simple act of read books while we're at it? oh wait? they're already trying to do that with these new phone things that you can download books onto that will read the book for you instead of having to look at the screen...damn, screwed again by technology....you know I won't be surprised if walking or interaction of human beings goes out the window.

[MissMelsWell]

I only WISH I could cancell receiving a phone book! This is one of my pet peeves to be honest. I get a "new phonebook" like once a week! US DEX, Verizon and all these other companies make phone books then hire kids to just dump them off in your driveway. It really drives me insane! I don't use them, I don't want them around my house, I have everything I need in the way of a phone book right on my computer! While I was out of work earlier this year, I actually kept my eye out for the phone book people and ran out of my house telling them I don't want one! More than half of them told me "just throw it away!" .... uggggh. I don't wanna throw it away! I want them to KEEP it. They can fill up their own recycle bin! Not MINE!

Phone books aren't necessary, almost no one needs one anymore... if people do need one, maybe set aside a place where they can pick one up for a couple of bucks. Just don't throw them in my driveway, where half the time I come home, they've been laying in my drive, and it's been raining, so they're really just a bloated mass of paper pulp anyway! Makes me CRAZY I tell ya.

[Mattshark]

Does anyone still use a phonebook?

[Still Waters]

Does anyone still use a phonebook?

The people who don't have internet like my mum, she uses hers. The ones we have are still in their wrappers, I always put the old ones out in the recycle bin.

[Michelle]

Does anyone still use a phonebook?

I keep one in the car and use one at home when I'm looking for different types of businesses and I want to see which one is closest. I don't like having to scroll up and down to see them all and I have a code I can jot down so when I speak to them I can keep their response in mind in case I wasn't happy with the service from the one I used. I usually keep the same one for a few years because of that. Otherwise, I use the internet.

[The Silver Thong]

Does anyone still use a phonebook?

I havn't used a phonebook in years and ya what a waste, our phonebooks are a foot thick and a total waste. If people want a phone book they should order them.

[Michelle]

I havn't used a phonebook in years and ya what a waste, our phonebooks are a foot thick and a total waste. If people want a phone book they should order them.

I agree...there is a lot of waste due to them. It would be a lot better if they just had a box you could check on the bill whether you wanted one or not.

[Mattshark]

I agree...there is a lot of waste due to them. It would be a lot better if they just had a box you could check on the bill whether you wanted one or not.

That would be a far more sensible idea.

[Wickian]

My city only sends a full size phone book once a year. Otherwise they send a mini about 1/4 the size once every 4-6 months.

[little_dreamer]

My "little black book" + my cell phone + the internet = all the phone listings I need.

I get about 2 or 3 phone books of different sizes a year. It's a total waste for me.