Phone books

The phonebooks are peeking out from under the snow and ice!

Heather Vandenengel has posted a collection of photos of stacks of unclaimed phonebooks around Boston, under the headline "WHY DO PHONEBOOKS STILL EXIST?"

The Cambridge City Council today considers establishing a local opt-out program for residents who no longer let their fingers do the walking.

Councilors Marjorie Decker and Leland Cheung say phone books created "a tremendous amount of waste" and force the city to dispose and recycle them in "an age when the Internet is a more highly used method of information." Their proposed order instructs the city manager to look at the feasibility of a system for letting residents indicate they no longer want the weighty tomes.

The council meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.