Giant, shrink-wrapped books. They’re everywhere. I think it rained phonebooks, although I don’t remember seeing that in my weather forecast. Flint Lockwood must have made another machine, but this one storms phone books. They’re on top of the mailboxes, on the sidewalks, in the grass, they’re pretty much everywhere. They’re taking over the neighborhood.
Why do the Yellow Pages still exist? Simple, because advertisers are still giving them money. Let’s look at the logic here. 
Are these businesses just clutching on to a past dream of advertising success, unwilling to let go? I walk my street twice a day and nobody is bringing these books in the house. Now the advertisers are probably paying for internet and print, so as long as they’re getting new customers, they’re probably not concerned with the details, they just want the results. How many people still use phone books? I’m sure there’s a small percentage and I’m all for print some for the people that want them. But why are they mass producing them to throw them in people’s yards when 99% of them will go in the recycling bin, or worse yet, the trash? I find it funny (the disturbing kind) that they have a dumpster specifically for phone books.
I saw this on freecycle a couple of weeks ago, someone collecting phonebooks for a school recycling contest. Now that’s a good use of freecycle, but again, begs the question why there’s so many of these to recycle. I think it’s safe to say that it’s not people in great excitement because they got the new phone book to replace the outdated one. This photo from wjlta.wordpress.com says it all.
I guess we will continue to have this incredible amount of paper waste as long as Yellow people’s ROI is stays in the black. If this bothers you too, here’s some creative things you can do with the phone books.
art
home decor
clothing
office organization
gardening
This one you wouldn’t even have to move it off your lawn, just remove the plastic wrap.
transportation
Okay, so you can’t drive it, but it’s still cool.
Gone are the days: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOTDn2A7hcY
Ha! Awesome.
I was shocked at my last class reunion (1964) how many of my classmates did not use the internet at all. I can see how those folk need a yellow pages and white pages.
A phone book lives in my car so I can use it when out and about. I refuse to pay $10 or $15 per month for the internet on my cell phone. Besides, I probably could not read the print on my cell phone.
Some people who have a cell phone may not be able to afford the internet at home or on their cell.
For years I have feared that soon we would have to pay for phone books.
The planter is a really good idea. I may just try that one. Thanks for the cool art.
I think they should still print them and give them for free to the people that WANT them. With all the marketing lists and technology, they could have a phone book opt-out list. :) I like the car idea, that’s kind cool. And you won’t get fined for using it in a school zone. LOL
They are so many diferent phone books and I can’t rememer the last time I used one of those things stop killing trees phone book people lol
I don’t even have a land line anymore, yet I get a phone book. I guess they don’t discriminate against phoneless people. ;)