The push is on in Halifax to nix home delivery of phone books, in an effort to cut down on an item that is increasingly heading straight for the recycling bin.
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Halifax Coun. Matt Whitman says the phone books are an unnecessary drain on taxpayer dollars because they end up at recycling centres, often with the books still in their original wrapping.
Whitman says it’s time to change things so municipalities don’t have to foot the bill for the glut of phone books produced every year.
“They should be able to pick it up at a Sobey’s or the Superstore or the NLSC (Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation),” Whitman told CTV Atlantic on Wedneday. “Opt into getting a phone book, rather than getting one tossed into your driveway.”
Production of phone books has fallen over the last decade due to the availability of online phone directories.
However, some individuals still enjoy getting their hands on a physical phone book.
Barrie Morash, of Glen Haven, N.S., says he and his wife often turn to the book when they need expert help. Morash used his phone book recently to find someone who could help him with a drainage problem on his property.
Nevertheless, he acknowledges that the hefty tomes are quickly becoming a thing of the past.
“From what I see along the roads, a lot of people don’t pick them up. They’re just sitting there,” he told CTV Atlantic on Wednesday.
Mark Butler of the Ecology Action Centre suggests phone books are still being overproduced because it allows Yellow Pages, which makes the books, to boast higher circulation rates to its advertisers.
“They’re selling advertising, so the more of these they can hand out, the better the pitch to advertisers,” he said.
Phone book publishers also offer communities a few free pages of advertising to offset the recycling costs.
The Yellow Pages website says it serves more than 229,000 businesses, with 74.6 of its revenues coming from digital ventures.
