Save A Tree, Use The Internet

Yesterday, I got three huge phonebooks delivered to my doorstep.

Because I live in a large Metropolitan area, I get phonebooks for about 17 different cities. It's ridiculous, particularly since I literally, NEVER use them.

I use realyellowpages.com whenever I need a number. It's quicker, easier and yields more results. Plus, I just don't have a convenient place to store 17 phonebooks.

Last year I inquired about an opt out and was told there was no way to do so.

Um, what? Really?

So I continue to get phonebooks. And I continue to throw them directly in the garbage.

Is there a phonebook recycling depot? Not that I've found.

Because we live outside the city limits, we do not get city municipal services.

We don't recycle here at home because our trash service charges extra for that and we just don't have it in our budget. I know it's a thin excuse for not being more environmentally conscious, but we live on a single income and every little penny counts.

I do try to take magazines, bottles and cans to the freestanding bins in the supermarket parking lot, but I've not seen one for phonebooks. Could they go in the magazine one? Such a dilemma.

I think this is a huge problem. If 4 million people are throwing away phonebooks each year, that's a monumental waste.

I wonder how many trees are dying to manufacture phonebooks that nobody uses. I mean....does anybody use them these days?

I suppose in the grand scheme of global environmental crises, this is a small issue. And yet, I still felt a twinge of guilt as I dumped the heavy volumes into my trash can.

Just a thing to make you go...hmmmmmmm.