But We Don't Use the Yellow Pages Anymore

Every year, around the same time, I receive 2 gigantic, thousand-pages long, phone books on my front door step. Yellow Pages and White Pages. Then, within a week, I receive 2 more. Since I have been a regular adapter of technology since 1996 or so, I prefer to use the internet or my Smartphone to research phone numbers of businesses and individuals. I don't think I need to get into the numerous reasons why the internet is superior to a physical phone book for these things.

So usually when receiving these books of wasted paper I just put them inside somewhere and forget about them until they build up over the years and take up too much space. I have absolutely no use for them, but I always feel bad just throwing them out before they've at least had the chance to collect a layer of dust.

But the last time around when the books were delivered, I noticed that I was nowhere near the only person who found them unnecessary and unwanted. Probably about half of the houses in my neighborhood had their delivered books sitting untouched where they had originally been dropped off on the porch for up to 2 months after they were received.


So I thought about it and I decided that surely Verizon and whoever else distributes these books of redundancy knows that they are wasting paper- and probably time and money since they have to pay people to produce these things and also to hand them out. Clearly they are more concerned with the publicity they will achieve from having their name on the covers. And yeah, there is always the coupon section which is pretty helpful, okay and maybe the emergency numbers and resources section up front but I would be very interested to find out how few people in this day and age actually rely on the phone books as their only source of contact information. Can't they just make a book consisting only of coupons and the emergency resources section?

Perhaps I am just privileged and ignorant for thinking that those who cannot get or afford internet access make up such a small percentage of the population. I welcome anyone to correct me on that. But jeesh! Can't these phone book people find another solution than to just pass out the books to every single resident of every single town in the country, by default, whether they want it or not?

I decided to write Verizon a little note and a suggestion on how they may be more efficient and eco-conscious with this phone book free for all situation.





Since my handwriting is rather unruly, I will transcribe for you my letter. It reads:

Dear Verizon,
Why do you still deliver the yellow pages/white phone books in this day and age? Understandably, some people do not have an internet connection, but instead of wasting so much paper, have you considered distributing those bulky things only to people who request them? Like an opt-in thing? Almost every house in my neighborhood still has the books you delivered (still in the bag) sitting on their front porch where you first threw them over one month ago. Just thought I'd draw your attention to this. Seeing the books neglected everywhere kinda gives Verizon a bad name.

Concerned Customer,
Gunter Smiley


Verizon did not reply.