Two fewer 4 pound stacks of paper to recycle!

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

In my state, AT&T, our largest landline phone service provider has for eons been required to deliver residential phone directories. In this internet age, paper phone books are unnecessary for most people. Thank goodness: our state regulator of utilities has given AT&T permission to not deliver phone books any more.

AT&T phone books now optional in Mo. cities - BusinessWeek

Now if only I can get the competing companies to stop delivering phone books. Every year, I get phone books from 3-4 different publishers. These books cannot be recycled with newspaper and office paper, so I must wait for the once a year recycling program specifically for phone books. They are a big nuisance. I have called the publishers and asked them to stop delivering. They either say they cannot do it, or take down my name but still deliver the following year. (Once I even demanded that they come get the garbage they deposited on my front porch and told them to quit trespassing. )

But the AT&T book is the biggest, so it will be a relief not to get that any more. They always delivered two white pages books, even though we have only one phone line. But their honkin' big yellow pages will still be delivered, as they actually make money on those.

I know I'm not the only one who feels pestered by all these phone books. Perhaps, if delivery has been mandatory in your state, you could now persuade the regulators or law to make phone book delivery optional.

[disneysteve]

Bugs me too. The other thing that I hate, worse than the phone books, is all of the professional journals I receive week after week. All are free and sent automatically to all doctors. I didn't ask for them. I don't want them. I don't need them. I don't read them. They go straight into the recycling bin. A few years ago, I actually tried to get them stopped. I contacted the customer service departments of multiple journals. It accomplished absolutely nothing.

Apparently, there ad rates are based on their circulation numbers. The more copies they send out, the more they can charge advertisers. So they have no incentive to stop sending them out, whether the recipients want them or not. It is really a disgrace.

[southerndoc]

disneysteve, you have to contact the AMA (and AOA in your case) to request that your masterfile data not be released to anyone. AMA - No Contact and No Release Forms

Also, you should probably opt out of the selling of your prescribing data. Pharmaceutical companies can see what drugs you prescribe and how often. I don't think they should have access to that info. AMA - Physician Data Restriction Program (PDRP)

I haven't received a free medical journal in 3 years after signing up for those two things.

[disneysteve]

Thanks southerndoc. I'll definitely do that. I'd love to cut down on the flow of doctor junk mail.