Not Enough Phone Books Recycled

MINNEAPOLIS - Only about 11 percent of phone books are being recycled around Minnesota, leaving stacks of Yellow Pages at the garbage dump. Now, a state agency is pushing for an opt-in system that would only allow phone book publishers to send books to customers that want them.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency estimates nearly 13 pounds of phone books go to each home each year. What worries the state is they believe only 11 percent are being recycled, leaving more than 11,000 tons of books headed to landfills or burners.

Wednesday at the Hennepin County Recycling Center in Bloomington, FOX 9 found books still in their plastic bags.

The phone book publishers, like Dex, put their website instructions for recycling on the cover of the books. Users could plug in their ZIP code and discover most cities let you recycle the books curbside.

But the MPCA, would prefer the state implement an opt-in system, in which you'd have to give permission to get the books.

Until then, spring is still the season for fresh Yellow Pages, wanted or not.