How is the paper used in Yellow Pages directories made?
The paper industry has purchased and installed costly systems to produce recycled de-inked pulp. These systems recycle old telephone directories and even old newspapers, keeping enormous amount of waste paper out of landfills. In addition to recycled pulp, directory paper contains fiber primarily derived from “residual chips,” a byproduct of sawmills left after logs are converted to lumber. The chips become paper pulp instead of going into landfills or being burned. It is simply uneconomical for paper companies to cut down trees and grind them up for paper since trees have a much higher value as lumber. Paper companies only use trees that are damaged or otherwise unfit for use as lumber. These “trash” trees would be left on the forest floor to rot if not used for the paper in our directories. Publishers have also reduced the basis weight of directory paper 11% over the past 5 years from 22.5 pounds to as low as 18 pounds, thereby reducing the volume of paper used and the amount of raw
