Residents and businesses can opt-out of receiving phone books and junk mail.

A look at the discarded phone books, courtesy the City of Seattle

Last fall the city became the first in the country to allow residents and businesses to opt-out of receiving certain things to their homes – including phone books and junk mail.

Today the city launched a new online registry to make the process easy. “We heard from hundreds of people who are frustrated with the system of receiving multiple phone books every year and requested a reliable way to stop the waste. This is it,” said City Councilmember Mike O’Brien, Chair of the Seattle Public Utilities and Neighborhoods Committee and sponsor of the opt-out legislation. “The new system provides real accountability — phone book companies must to comply with peoples’ choices or face penalties.” Those penalties are as steep as $125 per phone book if delivered to a residence or business that has opted out.

The city says this move will stop an estimated two-million yellow-pages phone books from hitting the recycling bin, saving taxpayers about $350,000. “According to the U.S. Postal Service and Seattle Public Utilities research, Seattle homes and businesses receive an estimated 17,500 tons of unwanted paper in the form of junk mail and yellow pages phone books, approximately 100 pounds of waste per household, each year,” a release from the city states.

If you want to opt-out, you must do so 30 days before the scheduled delivery. Dex Pages plans to deliver next month, register by May 16th to opt-out.

The opt-out site is here, which includes both phone books and junk mail.