Seattle may limit phone-book distribution

The Seattle City Council wants to cut back on the unwanted phone books that pile up on front porches and kitchen counters — somewhere between 5 and 13 pounds of them per resident every year.

"Both junk mail and the Yellow Pages are largely unwanted and a nuisance," said Dick Lilly, a waste-reduction manager for Seattle Public Utilities.

The state requires phone companies to distribute residential listings to every household, but the state doesn't monitor Yellow Pages, which are typically distributed, without asking, to front porches and building lobbies.

Supporters of a proposed city ordinance limiting phone-book distribution say they are frustrated with hit-and-miss voluntary programs run by the publishers. "There is massive public support for this," said Ellie Rose, of Zero Waste Seattle.

Ursula Sandstrom, of Ballard, testified before a council committee this week that at her house, "the last time a phone book was used, the dog was chewing it."

The council is considering two approaches: an opt-out program through the nonprofit group CatalogChoice, and a way to charge publishers for phone books that end up in recycle bins.

Contracting with CatalogChoice would cost the city about $30,500 in 2011, according to Seattle Public Utilities. If the arrangement is approved this summer, the city's website would link to CatalogChoice early next year, and residents could sign up to opt-out of junk mail and unwanted phone books.

The program also would let residents view data on how much solid waste they have avoided by restricting what gets delivered to their homes.

The ordinance also may provide for enforcement to ensure companies don't deliver to people who opted out.

Councilmember Mike O'Brien has met with representatives from Dex, the largest distributor of phone books in Seattle, and an industry group. They want more time to hone their voluntary opt-out programs.

Dex has a "Select Your Dex" program, where people can choose whether they want phone books, and which directories they need. In addition, Dex is working on a pilot program in some areas to send trucks back through the neighborhoods and reclaim phone books not taken inside by residents.

Amy Healy, a spokeswoman for the Yellow Pages Association, an industry group, said improving distribution is a priority for companies that publish phone books.

But she said there's no reason for the city to pay for opt-out service when the companies themselves, and her group, through YellowPagesoptout.com, already provide the service.

"As an industry, we absolutely support consumer choice. It makes no sense for a directory publisher to provide a product that the customer doesn't want," Healy said.

The programs are newer, she said, and there are mistakes.

"It's not perfect," Healy said. "We're trying to make it as best we can."

Council President Richard Conlin said he wants to move eventually toward an opt-in program, where residents who wanted a phone book would have to sign up for one.

In the meantime, he wants to see whether the city can charge phone-book publishers between 25 and 50 cents per book to cover recycling costs for the more than 550,000 books distributed each year in Seattle.

Emily Heffter: 206-464-8246 or eheffter@seattletimes.com