A Green Nightmare - Clinging to the Past

Yesterday I got stuck on the way back home behind a flat bed truck loaded with Telephone Books being delivered door-to-door.

For heaven's sake, this is 2008!

Almost everyone has access to the web (68% of households now have broadband access in Australia) or a GPRS or 3G mobile phone. Finding a listed telephone number doesn't require wading through a mountainous book.

Why do they insist on dumping a useless book on our doorsteps. In my case, as soon as it arrives I strip the (non-recyclable) plastic wrap from it and consign the books straight to the recycling bin - but what a waste!!

Assuming the powers that be are not completely stupid or have their heads buried in the sand, I imagine there must be some obscure legislation that mandates every household has to have a free white pages phone directory delivered to their doorstep.

Why can't they simply make it opt-in and save themselves and the community many $ and generate some green kudos at the same time?

The situation is worse in the case of the Yellow Pages. I imagine all that keeps these books being delivered to our doors is the huge commercial vested interest Sensis (Telstra) has in keeping alive the myth that it is a tremendous advertising medium.

I haven't opened a Yellow Pages book in many, many years. Why would I when I can search for it all on the web?

I accept some people may still find the Yellow Pages useful and they too could opt-in to receive one. This though would expose the real (and diminishing) underlying economic value of the Sensis advertising franchise and so will presumably never happen.