How to Stop Phone Book Delivery in 4 Minutes

February 5, 2008 - Make sure you like EcoJoes on Facebook to stay updated on green ways to save money and help the environment. Just click the "like" button below. Muchas gracias!

Phone books foâ€™ever A couple weeks ago I came home and saw a phone book sitting in front of my front door. This has happened many times in the past. As usual, I put it right in the recycling bin, slowly shaking my head as I pondered why they keep sending phone books out to people when most people never even open them. It’s a big waste of paper and precious ink, not to mention the gas it takes to deliver phone books nationwide each year. So I did a lil’ research, and found out how to stop phone book delivery once and for all…

Call 1-(877)-243-8339

I just called this number to test it out, and within about 4 minutes I had opted out of getting phone books. The person on the phone was friendly and helpful, although a bit confused at first (she thought I wanted to get MORE phone books delivered to my house). So call that number, and in less than 4 minutes, you won’t have to worry about getting any more phone books. Huzzah.

P.S. To see where to recycle your old phone books, go HERE and optically scan the provided information.

P.P.S. Here’s a funny prank done by some hoodlums with phone books.

Posted in green living, paper on Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 at 4:19 PM.

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chriskalani · 897 weeks ago

Hey! I'm not a hoodlum!

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ecojoe · 897 weeks ago

Maybe a no-goodnik, or a trickster then.

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Grow Stronger · 896 weeks ago

Joe,

Interesting post! This is the great thing about just having a cell phone, as I don't even get any phone books!

1 reply · active 664 weeks ago

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kcpc · 888 weeks ago

You can opt out electronically at www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org. Just fill in the sign up form and www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org will contact the publishers to stop the madness. This is a free service for the consumers. www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org to sign up.

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Jeremy · 883 weeks ago

I collect the phone books of my friends family and neighbors when they are done with them. I shred and compost them for my garden and I also use them along with my chimney started for getting charcoal going. You can do this with newspapers and most paper products. For those interested in composting office paper and junk mail I recommend researching vermicomposting.

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Kelset · 872 weeks ago

I used my MyJunkTree account to stop all the phone books. It was quick and easy and all I had to do was click a button. In a few days I received an email confirming my address was off of the delivery list, pretty easy. I have my account to Remove Junk Mail and the phone books was an added bonus. Between the phone books and catalogs I could have built a fort. It is nice to be done with this.

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Moilissa · 872 weeks ago

I've called the number, I've written letters. I'm not sure that the people who are delivering our telephone books care who gets one. They even deliver to homes with no telehone!

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Tim · 868 weeks ago

I happen to be one of the owners of MyJunkTree and as a new company I search the web to see if we are getting any visibility out there and it seems the word is getting out. Thanks for the support.

We launched the company because we were tired of all the junk mail we were receiving and we personally did not want to bounce all over the web to contact all the different companies to stop it all. First and foremost we wanted to let people choose what they wanted to let come to their home knowing that some people really do like some of the coupons and catalogs. So our clients choose what they want stopped.

We also had to provide a service that is different than the other services out there, so here is what we offer:

1. We have a database of over 1300 catalogs that you can choose to stop.

2. We have over a 2000 charities/Non-Profits that you can stop solicitations from.

3. Stop the delivery of the national phone directories.

4. Stop the delivery of the weekly coupons.

5. Stop the general credit card offers as well as the ones from your own major bank.

6. Stop the miscellaneous junk mail from the data brokers.

7. You can register on the National Do Not Call Registry from the website.

8. You can order your no strings attached free annual credit report right from the website.

9. We plant trees with every new membership.

And, yes we are a paid service and yes you can do everything that we do for free, if you want to do all the research and spend the time contacting the companies yourself it can easily be done. We have just done all of the legwork for our clients and feel there is value in the service we provide.

2 replies · active 759 weeks ago

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Maxym · 857 weeks ago

Thanks for the post.

You can also sign do not mail petition (like Do Not Call National Petition)

I did some search online and this is the best resource so far available online (correct me if I am wrong). I have done this 5 months ago and my mailbox is literally empty ( I have paperless billing and also opted out from various mail lists) I check my mail twice a month now. It is beautiful.

I even took the letter from samples provided and wrote it to a local Chinese restaurant that keeps putting fliers in my door. They stopped too in the whole subdivision.

<a href="http://awakening.weebly.com/stop-junk-mail.html
" target="_blank">http://awakening.weebly.com/stop-junk-mail.html

I even opted out from the yellow book. What do I need it for, since the internet is right here.

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ecojoe · 857 weeks ago

Maxym, thanks for that link. That page really does have great tips for keeping junk mail away, also, I heartily endorse Weebly.

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Tim · 855 weeks ago

If you want to do more than just Stop Junk Mail that comes to your home, this site might also be of interest to you. Stopping Free Papers. It is a free service and they help you stop the delivery of all the free papers that are thrown in your driveway. The site is sponsored by MyJunkTree and it is totally free!

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Albert Kaufman · 854 weeks ago

Some interesting sites for those who'd like to see us move to an opt-in system for phone books. Been doing some research (will be updating on my site <http://albertideation.com>
http://www.stopthephonebooks.com/
http://www.productstewardship.us/displaycommon.cf...- current legislation
http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org./movement.htm...- state of the movement

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Eco Yellow Pages · 838 weeks ago

Check out Eco Yellow Pages for additional tips and info on stopping the unsolicited delivery of phone books. Our belief is that printed phone books provide a valuable service for those who want them, but are nothing but a waste for those of us who do all our local business look-ups online. Thanks for bringing attention to this issue!

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michelle · 825 weeks ago

Telephone Books are not all bad, my husband got laid off 2 months ago and that's how we are feeding our family.

2 replies · active 751 weeks ago

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jjm · 821 weeks ago

Verizon/idearc - regular directory + little useless business-only book. Two copies of each = 4 books total.
Yellowbook - Business-only book. Useless.
CommunityPhoneBook - little local book.
LocalTel - little local book. Duplicate effort of the previous local book.

This is what I get here every year! I wouldn't mind ONE regular Verizon/idearc book every couple of years. But even they screwed it up with all those books every year!

1 reply · active 821 weeks ago

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John Powers · 785 weeks ago

There is something you can do. Get involved online, and show these companies that we don't want these things anymore!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=11410411526...

1 reply · active 785 weeks ago

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Rodney A. Patton · 759 weeks ago

Almost always I manage to dispose of my junk sensibly but it is oftentimes depressing when I consider just what some other countries are doing to our beautiful planet!

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Dave McCalister · 753 weeks ago

Suggest SlotGuard for also doing this. They stop junk mail and phone books and a bunch of other stuff too. Pretty good.

1 reply · active 753 weeks ago

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dEB · 752 weeks ago

iT'S IS NOT RIGHT yOU ARE PUTTING ME OUT OF BUSINESS i HAVE A FAMILY AND A FATHER TO TAKE CARE OF AND BILL YOU PEOPLE ARE WRONG!

1 reply · active 751 weeks ago

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pizzlepazzle · 751 weeks ago

Dis N!gga dEB no wasap. i like my fone books cuz. aight den

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hchristine1980 1p · 747 weeks ago

I have to check out the yellowpagesgogreen.org. I work from home, so I've actually been able to tell some of the delivery folks to take the phonebooks back. The phonebooks in our neighborhood hang for so long that I had to write about it here:
http://roadsidezombies.com/2010/08/05/eliminating...

1 reply · active 747 weeks ago

E-Book Sales Closing the Gap, Quickly - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

[...] digital alternatives. (In a clear milestone for English usage, my kids refer to the Sony Reader as "the phone book.") That has implications for your wallet and for your [...]

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Nathan Kim · 730 weeks ago

I call all the services EVERY year, and they NEVER stop. Every year I see the same worthless phonebooks on my doorstep. I don't think whoever delivers them gives a crap about who has opted out. They just throw a book on every doorstep regardless because they get paid for each they deliver.

1 reply · active 730 weeks ago

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Misty · 726 weeks ago

Phone books provide jobs for people. I understand most of you don't like getting them but is it killing you to accept them? Probably not since your writing about it here, lol. Not everyone is a technology person (elderly, etc.) if you don't want them why not give them to someone who could use them? Or find other purposes for them? Please don't be mean to the people who deliver them. We are just trying to support our families like you. I do phone book delivery full time, year round in different counties to take care of my 3 year old son who's dad was killed in Iraq so please consider the lives of others before you rant and rave.

2 replies · active 705 weeks ago

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Misty · 726 weeks ago

Also, I'm not defending the careless, irresponsible delivery people but I personally take great concern as to who I deliver to and try to use best judgement if a house looks vacant, etc. I work hard and fast but I know there are others who do not have an ounce of integrity so please don't think I am defending them.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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