THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 21, 1995 TAG: 9507210562
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DEBBIE MESSINA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
It's easier than ever to recycle your old telephone books.
Old telephone directories may be dumped anywhere newspapers are collected for recycling, including the region's curbside program and recycling drop-off centers. The city of Virginia Beach, as well as some private recyclers, will even haul large quantities of phone books from businesses.
``It's more convenient than ever to participate,'' said Marc Thornton, recycling coordinator for the Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA).
As new directories arrive this week, last year's books may be placed in the bright blue boxes provided by SPSA in its curbside recycling program. This time last year, 150,000 homes were served by the curbside program. Now, SPSA serves 210,000 homes.
And by Oct. 2, - the end of the telephone book recycling period - all 300,000 homes in South Hampton Roads will be on the curbside route.
Old phone books also may be taken to most Virginia Beach public schools' newspaper recycling centers as well as any of SPSA's 32 drop-off recycling centers.
The books should be placed in the containers marked ``newspaper.'' They should not have any plastic covers on them.
Based on a survey conducted by Bell Atlantic last year, 58 percent of residents polled said they recycled their old phone books.
``That's good news for recycling,'' said Nancy Petersen, a Bell Atlantic spokesperson. ``The more paper we can recycle, the better off we are because it keeps it out of the landfills.''
For those who are not considering recycling their phone books, Bell Atlantic offers this incentive: ``Recycling your phone books, by weight, is like recycling 87 aluminum cans,'' Petersen said.
Virginia Beach will provide free pickup of 50 or more books from businesses that make an appointment before Aug. 14.
Businesses with contracts with private companies for office paper recycling are encouraged to work with their recyclers to arrange for pickup of large quantities of phone books. Depending on the recycler, there may be a fee.
Last year, 170 tons, or about 12 percent of all phone books, were recycled in South Hampton Roads last year. That's down from 240 tons the previous year.
But officials are skeptical of that number because for the first time last year the books were mixed in with newspapers. That made it difficult to get an accurate count, Petersen said.
``Frankly, we don't believe it,'' Petersen said. ``The trend has definitely been upward.''
From Tidewater Fibre Corp./Econo Disposal in Chesapeake, old phone books will be shipped to paper mills for repulping so they can be used to make new phone books, boxes for pizza and cereal, ceiling tiles, egg cartons and insulation.
Recyclable paper is in great demand now because paper mills, responding to demand and the market, have added equipment to handle large quantities of wastepaper, like phone books and newspapers, from homes and businesses.
As a result, the price of wastepaper has soared, about 113 percent in the last six months.
That's good news for phone book recycling. In previous years, Bell Atlantic had to subsidize the book drives so municipalities and recyclers wouldn't lose money. They don't anticipate having to do that this year. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
WHERE TO RECYCLE
For the location of SPSA's recycling centers, call 548-2256.
For details on Virginia Beach's recycling centers or for pickup
of 50 books or more, call 430-2450.
Phone books can be delivered directly to Tidewater Fibre at 1958
Diamond Hill Road in Chesapeake.
by CNB