Comments on: It’s 2008, so let’s dump phonebooks

By: funkeemunkee

funkeemunkee — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 03:15:40 +0000

What is crazy about this photo is that you can tell that the next the books are going to be delivered because the city’s [Orlando] waste department rolls this cans out for a few days then they disappear again for 6 months. Last cycle I got 3 sets, one large and one small from each of the 3 companies competing in my neighborhood. They even upgraded the recycling equipment to take them with the newspapers too.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 02:08:49 +0000

greg- that sums it up right there.

By: greg

greg — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:13:26 +0000

My Grandma eats a lot of bananas, but that doesn’t mean Chiquita should drop bananas off on every single homeowners’ doorsteps once a year whether they eat bananas or not.

By: billhelm

billhelm — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:52:35 +0000

tell that to my grandma that doesn’t use a computer.

seriously though, people still use them.

By: Woods

Woods — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:54:19 +0000

Before I got an iPhone, I would use 800-GOOG-411 all the time, it’s just as good as any phonebook. Now I keep one phone book in my trunk incase I break down and need to start a fire to keep warm.
What is the total environmental impact of the phone book? There is waste and pollution when the trees are cut. When the pulp is made(or recycled) a ton of water and energy is consumed. The phone books are shipped first via semi and then via local trucks commercial trucks; then via rusty pickups to our doors; which is finally shipped back to the recycling sorting center via recycling trucks, and then shipped to the actual paper recycling faultily via semis, only to repeatt he process.

Phonebooks may not be up as high as newspapers in their waste stream and pollution, but at least newspapers offer me something of use and value.

By: aric

aric — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:50:03 +0000

The only thing I use it for is calling Xcel when the power goes out. Which is absurdly often. But, I imagine, a handy fridge magnet could remove that bloated crutch.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:19:57 +0000

For almost ten years now, phonebooks I get go straight to the recycle bin. I think we should be able to return them to people making the phone books so they can pay for the recycling costs instead of the city or whomever is facilitating your recycling. I’ve never asked to receive one.