This photo was taken at the Post Office; telephone books delivered and immediately discarded by the recipients. I understand that some people still need telephone books, but why must we all get them? Why can't people who want a telephone book subscribe to one? The answers are obvious; the telephone book company sets its advertising rates according to the number of books distributed, whether or not people actually use them or leave them at the Post Office or throw them in the trash. One has to wonder whether the businesses that advertise in the telephone book have asked the sticky question of how many people actually use one. Businesses, and their fear of being unrepresented, are the only thing keeping telephone books afloat; note that the photo shows the yellow pages toward the front of the book and the personal listings toward the back. This is a reversal from years past.
Most people now use cell phones or computers to get information on local businesses. For me it is a quick question posed to Siri on an iPhone, or I can look up the business website. Each of these discarded books weighs on the order of 1.5 pounds and it would be interesting to know how many tons of paper are being wasted each year, even for my little town. Now extrapolate that for a nation of 315 million people, most of whom live in much larger cities with much heavier telephone books.
For many of us the value of a telephone book is less than the paper it is printed on. Telephone books are on their way out, and pretending they are more popular than they are won't extend their life for much longer. So perhaps it is time to push for a change in practice; those people who want a telephone book should be allowed to subscribe to one, but the rest of us should be spared this waste of resources.
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