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Phone Book Recycling
Cuyahoga County's Phone Book Recycling Campaign
Over 139 tons of phone books recycled in 2011
Cuyahoga County's 19th annual Phone Book Recycling Campaign took place June 1-September 30, coinciding with the delivery of the new phone books by AT&T. During the campaign, 139.64 tons of phone books were collected. The 139 tons amounts to more than 93,000 phone books (based on an average 3 pounds per book) turned in for recycling by individuals and small businesses in the county.
To collect old phone books, the Solid Waste District provided a 40-yard roll-off container at twelve drop-off locations in the Cleveland Metroparks. The District contracted with Rumpke Waste, Inc. to service the twelve container sites. The twelve containers were removed and emptied a total of 22 times during the four-months-long campaign. Rumpke Waste hauled all of the collected books to Royal Oak Recycling in Cleveland. Old phone books are recycled into low-grade paper products such as paper towel tubes and dry wall.
Cuyahoga County’s campaign is the largest phone book recycling program in the state, recycling over five million phone books since 1993!
The Solid Waste Management District continues to see a drop in the number of phone books being recycled during our annual campaign. We attribute this to a number of factors including 1) better curbside recycling programs, 2) other mixed paper recycling drop-offs, and 3) as of 2009, AT&T no longer mass distributes the White Pages.
Are you interested in volunteering to keep a phone book recycling bin neat and clean (adopting a bin) in 2012? Contact the Solid Waste District
at (216) 443-3749 or swdinfo@cuyahogacounty.us
Special thanks to the volunteers who regularly maintain and stack the phone books in the bins at each park location. Their constant attention helps keep the parks neat and litter-free. We also appreciate the support of Court Community Service during this campaign.
This campaign is sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District in cooperation with Cleveland Metroparks and AT&T.
Final collection results 2011
|
Metroparks Location
|
# of times pulled
|
Tons collected
|
|
Bedford Reservation, Bedford
|
2
|
15.33
|
|
Big Creek Reservation, Parma Heights
|
2
|
19.39
|
|
Brecksville Reservation, Brecksville
|
2
|
9.46
|
|
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Cleveland
|
1
|
7.14
|
|
Euclid Creek Reservation, South Euclid
|
2
|
11.57
|
|
Garfield Park Reservation, Garfield Heights
|
2
|
7.18
|
|
Huntington Reservation, Bay Village
|
2
|
10.86
|
|
Mill Stream Run Reservation, Strongsville
|
2
|
15.02
|
|
North Chagrin Reservation, Mayfield Village
|
2
|
11.66
|
|
Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation, Cuyahoga Heights
|
1
|
2.18
|
|
Rocky River Reservation, North Olmsted
|
2
|
24.04
|
|
South Chagrin Reservation, Bentleyville
|
2
|
5.81
|
|
Total
|
22
|
139.64
|
Results from 2010
In 2010, Cuyahoga County's annual Phone Book Recycling Campaign took place June 1-September 30 coinciding with the delivery of the new phone books by AT&T. During the campaign, 263.29 tons of phone books were collected. The 263 tons amounts to more than 175,000 phone books (based on an average 3 pounds per book) turned in for recycling by individuals and small businesses in the county.