Phone Books Recycling Bin Remove Magnets Before Recycling Phone books often come with magnets, which are not recyclable. Make sure to remove these magnets before placing a phone book in paper recycling. Ways to Reduce Opt Out of Yellow Pages If your phone book sees little use, consider opting out of receiving one altogether. Do so by visiting the National Yellow Pages opt-out site. Ways to Reuse Create a Phone Book Safe Hide money and other small valuables in a phone book. To create a phone book safe, take a box cutter and cut out a rectangle from the middle. Did You Know? The Environmental Impact of Phone Books Each year, it takes 7.2 million barrels of oil to produce phone books in the United States. This amount is equivalent to half of the oil used annually by the state of Vermont.