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Stop Junk Mail is a self-funded, not-for-profit campaign group giving free and independent advice on how to stamp out junk mail. If you support our cause, or if we helped you stopping junk mail, why not make a small donation to keep us going? Any contribution helps and is much appreciated.
Every year some 75 million paper directories are distributed to UK households and businesses by Yell, Thomson Local and BT alone*. Given that the majority of people now have easy access to the internet to find information, the amount of paper wasted on these books is truly astonishing.
Many - if not most - paper directories are never used and delivering these books door-to-door is hard to justify at a time when both the British Government and the European Union are aiming to drastically reduce waste.
To add insult to injury, Yell, Thomson Local and BT don’t advertise the fact that you don't have to receive their directories. You can simply contact them and ask to be opted out. All they need is your name and address.
Using Junk Buster you can send the following standard e-mail to any of the three directories:
Dear Sir, Madam,
I wish to opt out of receiving the paper version of the Yellow Pages / Thomson Local Directory / BT Telephone Directory. Please could you ensure that the directory is no longer delivered to my address.
Alternatively, you can contact any of the directories as follows:
To opt out of other directories, simple call the customer services number (usually printed on the cover).
* In 2007, 28 million Yellow Pages, 22 million Thomson Local directories and 25 million phone books were distributed in the UK.