Highland Park residents who don’t want telephone directories plopped on their doorsteps will be able to opt out of the service.

In a unanimous vote, the city council on Monday passed a resolution encouraging residents to forgo the Yellow Pages if they don’t use it.

It’s part of the city’s push to conserve resources that would be thrown out otherwise, city officials said. It’s a voluntary program and the council’s vote is simply a way to draw attention to the program, officials said.

With the rise of the internet and smart phones, many residents don’t use phone books anymore, said Paul Frank, a Highland Park city council member. Some parts of Highland Park receive up to four different  phone books that are published by varying directories, he said.

“It’s a lot of paper and a lot of trees,” Frank said. “This is about giving residents more options so they can be good stewards of natural resources.”

While some towns have passed ordinances that fine phone directory companies if they deliver to residents who don’t want the books, the council elected not to go that route.

Setting up its own opt out program would cost the city money at a time when resources are scare, said Board Member David Naftzger. By residents signing up themselves with the directory company, the city doesn’t get involved.

The council will review the program in six month, he said.

“We’ll be looking at how many people opted out,” Naftzger said. “We’ll want to know how many tons of directories weren’t produced because of this and how this fits in with the overall waste streams in Highland Park.”

Residents who don’t want a directory can sign up on an opt-out registry, www.YellowPagesOptOut.com.

By entering their zip codes at the top of the first web page, residents will find the list of directories that they are eligible to receive.

Clicking on a blue register button at the bottom of the page, takes them to the a contact information form that allows them to select what directories they want to receive. They can also decide not receive any directories.

Highland Park residents can also opt out by calling Dex One, publisher of the AT&T Real Yellow Pages at 866-606-9339, Yellowbook at 800-929-3556 and First Choice Media at 847-398-1111.