650,000 tons of paper per year
Annual phone book production consumed 650,000 tons of paper by 1991, raising serious environmental concerns.
Where this was said
The Environmental Backlash and Seattle's Fine System
At 14:05 · chapter starts 13:20
With publishers competing furiously for Yellow Pages territory, the environmental toll became impossible to ignore [1] — Josh Clark "By 1991, half a billion phone books were being delivered every year, consuming 650,000 tons of paper and filling 2 million cubic yards of l…" 13:50 . By 1991, roughly half a billion phone books were landing on American porches every year — 650,000 tons of paper, enough to fill 2 million cubic yards of landfill space. Josh recalls a comedian's joke about 'printing a small portion of the internet and throwing it on your porch once a year,' which neatly summarized the absurdity. Seattle emerged as an early leader in fighting back, levying a 14-cents-per-book charge on publishers and a $150 fine for delivering to households that had opted out. Switching to recycled paper helped quiet some of the outrage, but the backlash was a sign of a deeper problem: the phone book's utility was about to be challenged by forces far more disruptive than environmentalism.
Half a Billion Phone Books a Year — and Nobody Thought Twice
By 1991, half a billion phone books were being delivered every year, consuming 650,000 tons of paper and filling 2 million cubic yards of landfill space. And yet, people just stacked them on the porch without a second thought.
Half a billion phone books delivered per year by 1991
By 1991, approximately half a billion phone books were being delivered annually, consuming 650,000 tons of paper and filling 2 million cubic yards of landfill space.
Seattle Fined Phone Book Deliverers for Unsolicited Drops
Seattle charged phone book publishers 14 cents per book delivered and imposed a $150 fine for dropping books at opted-out homes. It was one of the first serious government pushbacks against the annual paper avalanche.
Seattle fined phone book deliverers 14 cents per book
Seattle became one of the first cities to charge phone book publishers 14 cents per book delivered, with a $150 fine for delivering to opted-out households.
Three Things That Killed the Phone Book
Three forces dismantled the phone book in quick succession: 411 free information lines in the '80s, the internet, and a 2004 Congressional law banning cell numbers from directories. Each one chipped away until only landline users were left.
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