Yellow Pages madness: What a waste!

Amy Gahran Wed, 9 Mar at 8:54am
Abandoned, boarded, fenced N. Oakland house received four Yellow Pages directories.

Abandoned, boarded, fenced N. Oakland house received four Yellow Pages directories.

The new phone book is here! The new phone book is here! Which means, in Oakland, you may be nobody -- several times over. (Joke hint)

This week new Yellow Pages were dumped on doorsteps in many parts of Oakland. But are East Bay advertisers getting the kind of distribution they're paying for? Oakland Local spotted one case where four Yellow Pages books were delivered to a house that was not only obviously abandoned and boarded up, but fenced and locked by the city.

Watch this video...


Each Yellow Pages book weighs about 2.5 pounds, and often they end up getting landfilled. Sure, they're recyclable -- but who pays for that recycling, and the landfilling? Ultimately, Oakland residents. Seriously, how desperate must local Yellow Pages publishers be to bump up their ad circulation numbers?

If you're a bits-not-atoms kind of person, at Yellow Pages Goes Green you can register to stop receiving printed telephone directories. (We don't know if that really works, but it's worth a try.)

Meanwhile, if you follow the money you can help stop this problem at its real source:

Show this video to companies and professionals that advertise in East Bay yellow pages.

Let advertisers know that this is where their ad dollars are going -- which meansYellow Pages circulation claims could be suspect. When advertisers complain to Yellow Pages publishers about wasteful distribution, publishers and distributors are more likely to respond responsibly.

About Amy Gahran
Amy Gahran is an itinerant troublemaker and info provocateur who moved to Oakland CA after spending 14 years in Boulder, CO. Her background is as a journalist, editor, and managing editor mainly covering energy, environment, and business. For the last 12 years she's been happily and gainfully self-employed, mostly helping organizations, institutions, and individuals wrap their brains around the internet. Speaking of brains, Amy is also Oakland Local's official zombie reporter.
Don Poir commented Array ago

You've struck a pet peeve. I cannot recall the last time I used a phone book. I have called to request no phone book deliveries. "Sorry sir, we can't do that." I will try the website.

In this time of green thinking why do we create this waste, kill trees and expend the energy to produce thousands of 2.5 pound dinosaurs?

In this digital age finding information online is easier, faster and more accurate. Who believes a phone book is a worthwhile endeavor?

Even if the book is made of recycled materials, the same material could be used to produce something useful.

Rant. Over.

Murray Powers commented Array ago

I wonder if it's possible to prosecute these people for litter? Or dumping garbage on people's property? Perhaps a movement to get people to call them and demand they come pick them back up...