I'd Like to Hang Up on This Idea

I tweeted about this earlier, but let me expand my thoughts: I'd like to find a way to opt out of getting phone books delivered to my house. I don't want or need them anymore. Ever. Let me repeat, in my best "lolcat" voice: DO NOT WANT.

I'm sure there are people out there who find these things useful (and I also bet that most of them are over 60 years old). Me, I have the Internet. In fact, I have the Internet on my phone, and on some webpages, the phone number shows up as a link, which, by clicking on it, can be dialed automatically. There's simply no need for a big, bulky book full of phone numbers that I'll never use, when all the ones I do use can be found in a device that fits in my pocket (if they're not stored there already). And I sure don't need a fresh copy of the big book every year, never mind the five or six different ones that are out there.

The worst thing is that it's nearly impossible to get rid of these things. You can't put them out in the regular recycling, nor does the place where I recycle newspapers and magazines take them. The only place I've found that does is a nearby grocery store where I don't shop all that often, once or twice a year...so I have to happen upon it by accident, or not. (The store where I shop regularly never does this, of course.) Then the things just pile up.

Sure, I've found a place to store them that's not in the open; they've taken over around half of an unused kitchen cabinet. But eventually, that's going to run out of room as well. And even if I get to the special recycling bin on time, the whole mess just starts all over again in a month or two.

Does anyone else think that the phone book should be allowed to go the way of the dodo? At the least, there ought to be some sort of opt-in process. And if anyone knows an easier way to recycle these things--or if you're as annoyed by this as I am--fire away in the comments.