DRIVE TO COLLECT PHONE BOOKS UNDER WAY

Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages and Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. have kicked off the 1996 Project ReDirectory program.

The annual drive to collect old directories allows area residents to contribute to a better environment, said Linda Works of St. Louis, manager of printing and distribution and coordinator of Project Redirectory.

Outdated directories can be recycled into such products as paper napkins, paper towels, roofing shingles, shoe boxes and other items, she said.

Distribution of 1996 directories started in Cape Girardeau Wednesday. More than 66,000 directories will be distributed to residential, business and government customers.

In addition to residential numbers and yellow pages, the new directories will include "fingertip facts," a calendar of events, area maps, Southeast Missouri State University sports schedules and a seating diagram for the university's Show Me Center.

Drop-off bins for old directories have been placed in a number of Cape Girardeau County areas and will remain in place through Nov. 13.

In Cape Girardeau, bins have been placed at all Boatmen's Bank sites; Schnucks Markets at 19 S. Kingshighway and 121 S. Sprigg; Student Recreation Center at Southeast Missouri State University; the Cape Girardeau Recycling Center and Southwestern Bell Telephone.

Jackson drop-off sites are Boatmen's Bank and the city of Jackson vehicle maintenance facility at 416 Florence.

During the redirectory campaign, Cape Girardeau customers may also have their outdated directories picked up curbside along with other recyclables in the city's trash collection program.

Large quantities of directories may be taken directly to the Cape Girardeau Recycling Center.

Although a goal has not been established, a 50 percent collection rate of directories is expected in the Cape Girardeau area.

Since its local inception in 1992, more than 40 tons of outdated directories have been recycled, saving 663 mature trees and 128 cubic yards of landfill space.

Project ReDirectory is conducted in 40 cities throughout Southwestern Bell's five-state region.