Free Newspapers Are Trash In More Ways Than One

Philip M. Stone August 24, 2007

There is an old adage that you get what you pay for – if you pay for a newspaper you’re more likely not to discard it so quickly, but if it is thrust into your hands for free then it can just as easily be thrown away without any thought. And that seems to be exactly what is happening.

In some cities free newspaper trash is becoming a real problem – even in spotless Geneva, Switzerland where ftm is produced the buses are now becoming huge elongated trash bins as commuters leave their two free AM newspapers behind on passenger seats. One of the papers is actually available in a bin on the bus!

But perhaps that is a better situation than other cities experience with people just throwing the papers away on the streets, and that is the huge problem London borough councils are battling. So it should be of interest to cities around the world that the largest London council, Westminster, has finally coerced the publishers of the two evening free newspapers to start putting their own recycling bins around town, and also that they get into the trash collection and recycling business.

It’s doubtful that within the financials of the business plan for launching a new newspaper that funds are put aside to clear up the daily mess afterwards. Lots of money and thought goes into distributing the products but clearing away the tossed newspapers? Doubtful. And yet in London this became a huge litter issue.

Westminster Council estimates that every day tossed free newspapers translates into four tons of added waste. Four tons! In some parts of the main shopping streets the council says the tossed newspapers account for 25% of all waste collected, and because it is mixed with street litter it cannot be recycled.

The council says that it, at its own expense, installed an additional 131 trash bins throughout its streets following the free newspaper launches a year ago with  some 3.2 million newspapers recycled through those additional bins in the first year, but it is simply not enough.

So it, and other London councils, asked the publishers of the free newspapers, News International and Associated Newspapers, if they would kindly participate in the cost of collecting their own litter, and although lengthy discussions took place neither publisher indicated any keenness to spend unbudgeted funds on picking up their mess.

But the councils had a weapon at their disposal which really did scare the free newspapers. Under the Clean Neighborhoods And Environment Act 2005 councils were given the power to designate zones where it would be illegal to distribute free printed material without a permit. Since the bulk of the free newspapers are given out by hand within the central shopping and office zones of Westminster all the council had to do was pass an ordinance saying “You can’t do that without a permit and we won’t give you a permit” and there goes the business.

For all the months of talking that took place, it was only when the council passed legislation in July allowing it, within a further month, to invoke the restrictions did the newspaper publishers finally get serious and agree a voluntary scheme.

Both publishers are participating in a three-month pilot-scheme to install 32 recycling bins each – and yes they can brand the bins so they get some free advertising out of it – and the initial placings will be in the most blighted areas.  The companies have the responsibility to collect the bin refuse and assuming all goes well then more bins will be placed. The council cannot force recycling, but the newspaper companies said they would recycle.

When the council passed the July legislation giving them the power to issue permits Alan Bradley, the councilor who is minister for street environment, said, “We simply cannot afford to let the problem of waste newspapers defacing our streets continue,  and our residents, businesses, and visitors rightly expect the streets not to be left strewn with a mountain of discarded newspapers. We strongly believe that the publishers have a clear duty to ensure their product does not deface our city.”

The competition between the News International thelondonpaper and Associated’s London Lite is fierce. Both newspapers started by distributing around 400,000 copies each and then a few months back thelondonnpaper increased its run to 500,000 which brought out cries of anguish from London Lite that all  its competitor was doing was making the streets of London even more filthy.

Now that both companies have agreed to the scheme – both basically pulled into it by their teeth --  they are verbally fighting it out for the higher moral ground. Ian Clark, general manager of thelondonpaper, claims, “Although London Lite has grudgingly matched our voluntary agreement with Westminster, Lite’s record in this area is less than impressive when compared to thelondonpaper.”

As for Associated Newspapers, Steve Aukland, its director of free newspapers, told the Press Gazette, “We’re obviously trying to work responsibly – we’re not putting too many copies out.”

Councilor Bradley was too polite to talk about all the kicking and screaming and threats involved in getting to the deal, and he merely proclaimed, “I’m very pleased that both publishers have agreed to help tackle the problem of newspaper litter voluntarily, which was always our favored option.”

Will other cities be far behind?

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