WHAT'S NEXT

Stop Delivery of Unwanted Yellow Pages in San Francisco
  1. Signatures
    11,843 out of 15,000
    Petitioning
    1. San Francisco Board of Supervisors
  2. Created By
    Office of Supervisor David Chiu
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates
How We Won

May 20, 2011

This month, San Francisco became the first city in the nation to end the distribution of unwanted commercial phone directories. In an overwhelming 9-1 vote, the city's Board of Supervisors passed its Yellow Pages opt-in ordinance, a program that will save San Franciscans $1 million taxpayer dollars year and end millions of pounds of paper waste.

More than 1,000 San Francisco residents and a total of 11,000  Change.org members across the country signed this petition to show a swell of grassroots support that helped this proposal to success. The petition became part of the legislative record, and PhonebookFree SF presented it when they returned 1,500 unwanted phonebooks to AT&T's San Francisco headquarters in March.

This victory will bring San Francisco closer to meeting its goal of zero waste by 2020, and sets a precedent that other cities can follow.

Every year 1.6 million Yellow Pages are delivered to San Francisco's 800,000 residents, whether we want one or not. They clutter our entryways, litter the street, and find their way from the doorstep to the recycling bin.

The production, delivery and disposal of unwanted phonebooks harms the environment, burdens Waste Management, and costs City taxpayers over a $1 million a year. 

David Chiu, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors agrees: "If we're serious about the environment, it's time we recognize that phone books are a 20th century tool that doesn't meet the business or environmental needs of the 21st century."

Join your neighbors and Supervisor Chiu and ask the Yellow Pages to only deliver phonebooks to people who request a copy!

 

Why People Are Signing
Recent Signatures

Support Supervisor Chiu's Phonebook Legislation

San Francisco Board of Supervisors:

I am writing to ask for your support of Supervisor David Chiu's Yellow Pages Distribution Pilot Program.

As a San Francisco resident, I am appalled at the number of phonebooks that are delivered throughout the City - 1.6 million for a city of 800,000. These directories clutter entryways and litter our streets.

The environmental cost of producing and delivering phonebooks is outrageous for a product that is rarely used. The US EPA reports that the paper industry is the 4th largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. If half as many Yellow Pages were produced for San Francisco residents, nearly 6,180 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions would be saved every year.

The high environmental costs are matched by high costs to San Francisco taxpayers. Waste Management estimates that phonebooks cost $300/ton to dispose of - costing the City almost $1 million a year!

Supervisor Chiu's measure is a straightforward way to reduce waste and save City taxpayers money while guaranteeing that everyone who wants a phonebook will receive one. Please support the Yellow Pages Distribution Pilot Program.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

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