Phonebook papers are 100 percent recyclable and are used primarily to—you guessed it—make new phonebooks! Old phonebooks are also sometimes recycled into building materials and products you use in your home. However, many recyclers won’t accept telephone books because the fibers used to make the books’ lightweight pages are too short to be reformulated into new paper. In fact, mixing old phonebooks in with other waste paper can even contaminate the batch, hindering the recyclability of the other paper fibers. Learn the benefits of recycling phonebooks, and get tips for reusing old phonebooks if your local recycler won't take them.
_{Photo courtesy of Getty Images}