On Thursday May 5, 2011, we launched Seattle version of our service. Below is the press release issued by Seattle. The phone book association continues to attack our effort by saying the service is redundant. The truth is, a third-party run service is critical to meet the needs of communities like Seattle that want to meet the needs of their constituents and ensure that their is effective compliance. In addition to our independence, the Catalog Choice system has a series of compliance and privacy protections not offered by the industry.

1. If the opt-out is not honored, file a complaint and Seattle has the authority to fine the distributor and publisher.
2. Protect your personal email address – Catalog Choice never releases your personal email address to the company you are opting out of.
3. Only release your phone number if you want – Catalog Choice does not require you to provide your telephone number to opt-out.  The industry association does.

Congratulations Seattle. You are leading the nation in stopping waste at the source.

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SEATTLE — Last fall Seattle became the first city in the nation to mandate that the phone book industry honor residents’ choice regarding what is delivered to their home.

Today the City launched a new and easy-to-use online registry that allows Seattle residents and businesses to choose whether they receive yellow pages phone books: seattle.gov/stopphonebooks.

Under the city’s new opt-out ordinances (123427 and 123532), yellow pages publishers can be fined up to $125 per phone book if they deliver directories to residents who opt-out at least 30 days before scheduled delivery.

In order to opt-out of the Dex Pages delivery, the first to deliver and largest publisher in Seattle, residents and businesses must opt-out by May 16.

“We heard from hundreds of people who are frustrated with the system of receiving multiple phone books every year and requested a reliable way to stop the waste. This is it,” said City Councilmember Mike O’Brien, Chair of the Seattle Public Utilities and Neighborhoods Committee and sponsor of the opt-out legislation. “The new system provides real accountability — phone book companies must to comply with peoples’ choices or face penalties.”

At stopphonebooks, Seattle residents will be able to choose which yellow pages directory brands they want to receive, or halt delivery altogether. Later this summer, residents and businesses will also be able to call or mail in their preferences in addition to stopphonebooks.

An estimated 2 million yellow-pages phone books are recycled in Seattle every year at a cost of about $350,000 to taxpayers. According to the U.S. Postal Service and Seattle Public Utilities research, Seattle homes and businesses receive an estimated 17,500 tons of unwanted paper in the form of junk mail and yellow pages phone books, approximately 100 pounds of waste per household, each year.

With this new service, Seattle residents can also request to stop junk mail by visiting the site and selecting the advertising and catalog companies whose mail they do not want to receive. Both sites are operated for the City by Catalog Choice, a non-profit company based in Berkeley, Calif.

“Eliminating even a fraction of paper waste represents a gain for the environment. By minimizing waste processing, greenhouse gases diminish and we get another step toward sustainability,” said Timothy Croll, Solid Waste Director at Seattle Public Utilities.

Seattle City Council meetings are cablecast and Webcast live on Seattle Channel 21 and on the City Council’s website. Copies of legislation, Council meeting calendar, and archives of news releases can be found on the City Council website. Follow the Council on Twitter and on Facebook.

About Seattle Public Utilities: In addition to providing a reliable water supply to more than 1.3 million customers in the Seattle metropolitan area, SPU provides essential sewer, drainage, solid waste and engineering services that safeguard public health, maintain the city’s infrastructure and protect, conserve and enhance the region’s environmental resources. Learn more about SPU at: www.seattle.gov/util. Follow SPU on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SeattleSPU

Kristen Moller 09am May 10 This is fantastic! How can other cities take the same step?

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