Phone Books Paper Recycling 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. 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.