Reader tip: Save a tree, cancel a phone book

Got this e-mail from Chris (thank you!):

We got yet ANOTHER set of phone books today. If these are junk mail
(and a colossal waste of paper) to you, give them a call and opt out.

Verizon: 1-800-888-8448

This number came right off the front of the book, and my call was
quickly answered.

Let us just say, we USED TO love phone books, but as online searching gets easier and easier, at our house they go straight to the recycling bin, and what a waste that is. So in case that’s how things work at your place, we thought we’d pass this along. We don’t get Verizon books here; found this number for Dex — 800-422-1234 — choose option 4 first, then choose option 2; even though the recording doesn’t specifically say “press this number to cancel directory delivery,” the person we reached after those two choices said that’s the right place to call. (Found this related website, too.)

Alice Kuder December 28, 2007 (10:37 am)

Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to post this info. The multiple phone book problem has been a pet peeve of mine for years — such a waste! I never realized there was a way to opt out.

CMP December 28, 2007 (10:45 am)

This is great so thanks for the information! My small apartment building has stacks of phone books that no tenants will take so I might make some phone calls to stop delivery. I remember having to deliver phone books once when I lived in SoCal as a kid and it was the crappiest job ever.

Timeslid December 28, 2007 (11:32 am)

WSB is such a great resource. The only good use of a phone book is to test my strength and rip it in half, then recycle it of course.

Christopher Boffoli December 28, 2007 (1:45 pm)

Thanks for this. I just called and cancelled mine. It only took a minute. I’ve been robotically tossing them in the recycling bin for years now. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of canceling it before.

Picklemom December 28, 2007 (4:11 pm)

Thank you, Chris! The trees thank you, too. And it make my recycling bin a few pounds lighter! I just called Verizon and spoke with a very nice woman.

dapuffin December 28, 2007 (4:31 pm)

Another vote of thanks for the tip on canceling phone books. Our phone books have been going straight from the steps/porch to recycle the past couple of years. I’m glad to have a way of just eliminating them altogether.

LB December 28, 2007 (5:07 pm)

Thanks for those numbers. The Yellow Book number is 1-800-373-2324, option 3. AT&T/YellowPages is 1-800-792-2665. They were closed when I called them so I’m going to try again next week. Also check out paperlesspetition.org.

MargL December 28, 2007 (6:35 pm)

‘Course you may just want to keep a couple old books around if the internet/power goes out and you’re looking for a phone number or need something to burn to keep warm :-)

Bonnie December 28, 2007 (6:43 pm)

Speaking of phone books I was in the Arbor Heights neighborhood today and saw some men in a van delivering phone books. They literally had their window open and threw the phone book right out the window. I saw a few of the phone books opened up in the driveway or on the sidewalk. Can’t they get out of the car and deliver them??

Agen Schmitz December 28, 2007 (7:56 pm)

I called on Thursday and the phonebooks got picked up today (though the driver thought I wanted a replacement at first; I politely dispelled him of that notion).

Google Generation December 28, 2007 (8:56 pm)

What’s a phone book?

Signed the Google Generation ;-)

girl December 28, 2007 (11:09 pm)

Thank you. I just got a second set as well. Who needs even one anymore?

Tim Flanagan December 30, 2007 (10:09 am)

Thanks. This is one of those nagging issues you think about once a year, and then forget about until you get a new set of books the NEXT year. Glad to know there’s something to do about it.