Stop Junk Mail

The Science of Junk Busting

Guide to Stamping Out Junk Mail

Cancel the Yellow Pages and/or Phone Book

Every year some 75 million paper directories are distributed to UK households and businesses by Yell, Thomson Local and BT alone. It's a colossal waste that can be stopped.

Most unsolicited paper directories are never used. We all know the story. A long time ago such books were useful; people would consult them to find phone numbers of other people and local businesses. But then we got the World Wide Wonderweb.

Destroying forests to deliver tens of millions of unsolicited phone books is no longer justified. I'm not saying paper directories should be banned but it's difficult to see why phone books still need to be delivered door-to-door. Yet, that's the way it is. Fortunately, you can opt out…

Opting out

The Yellow Pages, Thomson Local Directory and BT Phone Book can all be cancelled. If you want to get rid off all of them you probably want to opt out via Junk Buster; using the widget you can send a (polite) opt-out request to all three directories in one go:

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Or, do it manually

Alternatively, you can contact Yell Hibu, Thomson Local and/or BT directly:

Other directories

To opt out of other directories, simple call the customer services number (usually printed on the cover). If the directory is addressed rather than unaddressed you might also want to register with the Mailing Preference Service and/or send the sender a data protection notice.

Does it work?

Good question. The answer seems be 'no'. I've been opted out of received the Yellow Pages, Thomson Local directory and BT Phone Book since 2009, and I've received a copy of all three books each and every year.

Of course, this is my personal experience. Don't let it deter you from stopping unsolicited phone books.

What to do if they ignore my opt-out?

Contacting directory publishers when you continue to receive phone books after opting out is futile. They'll say "sorry" and suggest you recycle the book, after which nothing changes. If they fail to respect your opt-out request I suggest you stick the book in an unstamped envelope and return it to the offender:

Spread the gospel

Opt-out schemes for unsolicited phone books suffer from the same deficiencies as opt-out schemes for junk mail; they're poorly advertised and not nearly as effective as they should be. The only difference between the two types of opt-out schemes is that the opt-outs for paper directories perform a lot worse.

To be fair, things have improved a little in recent years. Until 2011 the Data Publishers Association insisted there was no need to advertise the existence of opt-out schemes for phone books because few people were signing up to them; a classic example of a circular argument indeed. Information about opting out is now included in phone books, albeit in the mouse print. Apart from that small step forward it's business as usual for directory publishers. There's no denying that the industry is still determined to keep as quiet as possible about cancelling unwanted phone book until the bitter end. Perhaps as a result of this 'head in the sand' attitude that end may be quite near; Yell Hibu might well be the first directory publisher to go bust.

The reason why Yell Hibu, Thomson Local and BT don't want you to opt out is straightforward enough. Publishers are worried that lower circulation numbers will make their books even more irrelevant than they already are and it opens the door to what they really dread; demands for an opt in regime. The first fear is irrational; one of the reasons why paper directories can't complete with online services is that the books are so poorly targeted. Why would advertisers want to pay for an ad in a book that most people chuck in the recycling bin the moment it arrives? Encouraging people to opt out would actually make phone books better targeted, and therefore more attractive to potential advertisers.

The fear that the Daily Mail will start demanding an opt in system for unsolicited phone books is probably the main reason why publishers want to keep quiet about the whole thing. They're well-aware that an opt in regime makes sense; it would ensure that only people who want a phone book get one. They're hoping that by publishing some information about opting out in the small print is enough to convince the public that they're responsible companies.

Which is exactly why you should opt out and spread the word about services such as Junk Buster. The more people opt out, the more likely it is that directory publishers will want to set up a system that works for both the industry and 'consumers' (I prefer the term 'people').

The solution

If directory publishers are serious about opting out there are two things they could do:

  1. Set up a single opt-out scheme along the lines of Junk Buster. There's no need for people to contact directories one-by-one; there should be a single place where people can go to cancel all the directory's they're not interested in.
  2. Enforce the scheme so that publishers who routinely ignore opt-out requests face some sort of penalty.

Will it happen? It's certainly a long way off at the moment. Yet, things can change. Opt out, return books are nevertheless delivered, and spread the gospel.