Magazine Recycling May Boom As New Technology Increases

Magazine Recycling May Boom as New Technology Increases Magazine publishers have long been locked in editorial and financial competition with their media brethren - newspapers. But in at least one respect, the competition hasn’t even been close. While environmentalists and state legislatures have been successfulty exerting pressure on newspapers to print ever-more copies on recycled paper, the magazine industry has largely escaped unscathed. That seem to be about to change. While newspaper publishers have been under regula- tory and consumer pressure for several years to concen- trate their attention on recycling efforts, their maga- stock into paper. zine counterparts are only newsprint become available. There is a great deal of beginning to feel the heat, Flotation technology, still interest,” said Rod Edwards, since until only recently has being developed in the U.S., is vice president of the Ameri- it been feasible to recycle now in use in only a handful can Paper Institute’s paper- most glossy magazine of mills around the country. board group. “Magazine stock back into reuse. That number is headed for a publishers, distributors and FUTURE DEMAND. The mar- steep incline, and soon. wholesalers are all being ket for recycled magazine The flotation system is a asked leading questions on stock has existed for years, deinking system that has where they stand on recycl- but it has been limited to been used for a long time ing ethics. And this, in my uses in the paperboard in- in Europe and Japan. It is a opinion, comes up faster dustry, which has employed substitute for the long-stand- and faster to the surface recycled magazine paper in ing washing procedure used since Earth Day.” producing boxes and home- by U.S. newsprint mills. The But plenty of daunting building products, where flotation system requires the technical problems remain sturdiness is important. On- clay coating from a maga- before magazines can be ly in the last few months has zine to assist in the removal recycled on a mass scale, the technology for recycling of ink from old newspapers. cautioned Ron Yeske, vice heavy, coated magazine It also helps to brighten the president of research for the c$ Printed on recycled paper Institute of Paper Science force at its annual conven- don, Texas, about organiz- America, assuming a 50 and Technology, affiliated tion in Arizona this month, ing curbside magazine col- percent capacity with 40 with the Georgia Institute of Robert Farlet, the trade lection. percent deinked content, Technology. group’s executive vice presi- In the Pacific Northwest, could drive the demand for It’s heavily inked material. dent, said the MPA has re- periodical wholesalers re- old magazines to 1.13 mil- Typically, it’s got a lot of fil- ceived assurances from the port signing long-term con- lion tons. Davis bases the lers and coating on it,” he paper industry that within tracts to supply unsold re- number on a 70 percent explained. “The amount of the next two to three years, turns to mills, most notably ONP130 percent OMG ratio fiber is relatively small, com- as many as 60 paper mills Jefferson Smurfit, in Oregon used in the flotation system. pared to some other sources in the United States will be City, Oregon. Prices fluctu- Seattle, which has one of of equal tonnage. From an outfitted with flotation tech- ate daily, based on market the nation’s most extensive economic perspective and nology, and thus will be conditions, said John Harr- programs for curbside from a technological per- able to recycle magazine- ington, president of the waste collection, began col- spective, it’s not your favo- stock paper. Council for Periodical Distri- lecting used magazines rite material to recycle.” The industry’s hope is butors. along with other paper from Nevertheless, alarmed at that at some point, that will Presently, there are three its residents two years ago. the possibility that state boost the market for used newsprint mills using old Soon, said Diana Gale, the legislatures might mandate magazines to a critical magazines to produce news- city’s director of solid waste, magazine publishers use mass that would make it print. These three use an a city contractor, a division specified proportions of re- sufficiently attractive for estimated 165,000 tons an- of Waste Management, will cycled paper, as they al- communities to encourage nually. But the popularity of begin manually sorting ready do newspapers, residents to separate maga- the flotation procedure magazines from other sec- magazine publishers have zines from other waste could increase the demand ondary paper, for sale to a begun to focus on the issue, paper. Perhaps even curb- for clay-coated magazines mill in Oregon that recycles and are exerting their ag- side pick-up of magazines to 475,000 tons by the end magazine stock. gregate buying power on might follow. The API is now of next year. Davis feels the future suppliers to come up with conducting a pilot project John Davis, president of a looks good for magazine some answers. The Maga- for curbside pick-up of Davis Consulting, Albuer- consumption in the recyc- zine Publishers of America magazines in California. que, N.M., estimates that ling process. “We’re finding is expected to unveil a re- And Champion International other announced recycled now, because of all this port by a recycling task- is talking to officials in Shel- newsprint facilities in North (conilnued on page 50) MODEL 20 quickly shreds magazines, books, newspapers, waste paper, corrugated cartons, foils, films, and plastics, for baling and packaging material. Compact, economical, safe. Instantly adjustable shreds from l/W’, 114” to 112”. Built for continuous trouble free industrial service. 160 Dilbeck Rd., p.0. Box 1047 Rainsville, Alabama 35986 205/638-6355 l-800-225-6458 Circle 361 on reader service card Circle 362 on reader service card stodgy appearance of the Time Magazine, was re- MAGAZINES traditional black and white minded of that after choos- (continued tram page 48) newspaper. ing last year to designate More than 3,000 consu- the Endangered Earth as mer magazines are now Planet of the Year. After re- flotation technology and the published across the coun- ceiving piles of letters from requirements for (the use try, with as many as 500 readers inquiring about the 09 old magazines, that peo- new titles added to the list company policy on recyc- ple are figuring out ways of each year. If academic jour- ling, publisher Louis A. Weil collecting them that didn’t nals and trade publications III responded by writing exist before.” are added to that total, the about the company’s pro- It was probably only a number of titles approaches gram for office collection of matter of time before recycl- 20,000. recyclables. He also admit- ing became an issue in the A report by Davis Recycl- ted Time’s high-speed prin- magazine industry. The ing, titled North American ting presses would only tol- newspaper business is Recycled Newsprint Markets, erate paper containing no largely in a holding pattern, estimated 2.5 million tons of more than 7 percent recycl- which many equate with a No. 5 coated paper will be ed stock. long-term decline. Despite a used for magazine publica- At smaller magazines, it growing U.S. population, tion in North America this is more difficult avoiding the total newspaper readership year. appearance of double stan- has been stagnant for FINDING SOURCES. Even for dards when recycling is years, and the number of all the activity now under- covered in the editorial pages dailies continues to dwindle. way with recycling, the pres- even as it is not practiced Meanwhile, a record on their hands, and adver- sures on magazine publish- in-house. number of magazines crowd tisers appreciate the high- ers to pay more attention to For some magazines, the the nation’s newsstands. quality color reproduction. the issue will only increase, duty to practice what they Many use coated paper, One of the most popular as they will on all media, preach is almost unavoid- and most consumers prefer reasons for the clay coated which bear a peculiar ethi- able. Magazine such as E them. Readers are hearten- magazines is many readers cal dilemma unlike that of - The Environmental ed to find no black smudges prefer the look over the other businesses. (continued on pa@ 52) its readers in the September- IN THE BEGINNING. Armed With a few exceptions, MAGAZINES October issue that it now with a list he’s drawn up of the publications on Ass- (contktued loom page 50) prints its covers on recycled about 100 fellow publishers, mann’s list have sharply paper stock. And beyond Mother Jones’ publisher, limited resources, and seem that, the magazine is trying David Assmann, has been to be following Mother Magazine, a bi-monthly to organize a group of like- trying to assemble a group Jones’ lead on recycling. based in Norwalk, Conn., minded journals, few of which might jointly negotiate Marian Riedy, publisher of had difficulty avoiding the which belong to the more with paper suppliers. the Washington Monthly, recycling question, since it mainstream MPA. Though most of the maga- said “I think you can say was established largely to zines are narrowly circulat- that we’re very interested. call attention to the political ed, a handful of larger mag- But we don’t have anybody and ethical issues arising azines have also expressed to put on the task, and so I from environmentalism. But interest, including Harpers, think we’re probably going even with all the best inten- Atlantic and the Saturday to be a follower rather than tions, since its inaugural Evening Post.

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