Some 100,000 old telephone directories were reclaimed in a citywide environmental protection program that ended last weekend, program organizers said yesterday.

Initiated by the Shanghai Branch of Roots and Shoots, an international environmental protection organization, the recycling program lasted for five weekends beginning on September 4.

More than 1,000 volunteers from 11 Shanghai universities and middle schools were organized to deliver new free editions of the Yellow Pages to families in five local districts, while also collecting their old copies.

All telephone directories collected this time will be sent back to the Shanghai Yellow Pages Co and recycled as printing paper for new editions next year.

The Yellow Pages company said it will donate the money it saved through the program back to the organization for further environmental protection programs, organization officials said.

"Since the circulation of the Yellow Pages is large, the program can protect natural resources such as trees and forests by recycling them," said Li Yujing, project manager at Shanghai Roots and Shoots.

Nearly 3 million telephone directories are sent out to local families and companies every year, but only 5 percent are reclaimed, according to Shanghai Yellow Pages Co.

"I normally will put the old copies aside or sometimes throw them away," said Xu Zhixiang, a local resident.

With nearly 20 tons of yellow pages collected this time, at least 300 trees can be saved, the organization estimated.

This year's collection was the biggest-ever activity organized by Roots and Shoots in Shanghai. If it works well, it will be turned into one of the organization's regular annual events.

(Shanghai Daily November 8, 2003)