With new TELUS directories being delivered to local residents and businesses over the next few weeks, the regional Waste Reduction Office is reminding Central Okanagan residents to recycle their old phone books.
Waste reduction facilitator Rae Stewart said the old phone books weigh a total of more than 166,000 kilograms.
"If all of them were tossed into the landfill, they’d take up the equivalent space of 60 large dump trucks," said Stewart.
By recycling, instead of tossing out, old phone books, all, or a great deal of, that paper can be diverted from the limited landfill space and turned it into a valuable resource..
Stewart said old books are mixed together with other household paper products at Cascades Recovery, the local recycling facility on Cambro Road in Kelowna. There, the paper is compacted and shipped to numerous recycling mills that make products like roofing felt, paper egg cartons, and more newspaper.
"Simply put your old phone books in your blue cart for recycling and place your cart at the curb on your regular recycling collection day. You can also take phone books to your nearest recycling depot," she said.
She added many residents are now opting to get their information online, and if they do so, they are reminded to unsubscribe from publications they no longer require.
Businesses or other groups with large numbers of phone books to recycle should contact their recycling hauler for options.
The regional waste reduction office provides information about what you can and can’t be recycled, via its free MyWaste app at regionaldistrict.com/mywasteapp.
Also, check out the online recycling tool at regionaldistrict.com/recycle, or call the Regional Waste Reduction Office at 250-469-6250.