Phone Companies no Longer Have to Print Directories for Washington Customers

State regulators Tuesday ended a requirement that local telephone companies annually deliver printed directories to all their Washington customers.

The change is expected to remove more than 300 tons of unwanted paper directories from waste and recycling bins annually, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 4,000 tons and saving local governments hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in waste-processing costs, according to a release from the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission.

The new rule requires companies to make directories available electronically, and to provide paper directories only to those customers who specifically request them.