MOUNT VERNON — Saturday, the Mount Vernon News, along with SBC Recycling, will once again do its part to “Clean up Ohio, one piece at a time.”
Area residents can bring old newspapers and magazines to the News loading dock on Gay Street from 8 a.m. to noon. Those who complete and clip a coupon, which has appeared in the News and Shoppers Mart for the past several weeks, can also start or continue a subscription for one month.
“We do it for everyone in the community, to help them get rid of their old newspapers,” said Kay Culbertson, publisher of the News. “But in addition, it keeps the papers out of the landfill.
“And the free subscription is a good thing because the newspaper is here to inform the community about current events and issues going on in the community,” she added.
This is the second recycling event sponsored by the News and SBC this year, and it’s the third year the organizations have pooled their recycling efforts.
According to Dean Hammons, press room manager for the News, about 693,000 pounds of newsprint are used a year to print the Mount Vernon News. When commercial print jobs are included, that figure rises to 1.5 million pounds of newsprint. One roll of newsprint weighs between 800 and 900 pounds. A roll of newsprint averages about 35,800 linear feet.
Newsprint, although often used as a liner for bird cages, has many other uses once it is recycled. Those uses include obvious ones, such as picnic table covers, papier mache, packing or wrapping paper, and drawing or painting. Items which can be made from recycled newsprint include pencils, mugs, combs, sun visors, picture frames, bookmarks and ice scrapers. According to Independent Ad Specialties, 100,000 pounds of recycled newsprint will make 2.3 million rulers. Another company, AmeriMarketing, said the 693,000 pounds used for the Mount Vernon News each year, recycled, is enough to make 14 million 6-inch rulers.
But recycled newsprint can also be used in other more creative ways as well.
The Women’s Multipurpose Cooperative, a group started in the Philippines to create jobs for people, makes several items from recycled newspaper, including trivets which can be used as placemats or coasters.
Cocoon Insulation, made by the Bethesda, Md.-based Greenstone, is made from 100 percent recycled newspaper products. According to Greenstone’s Web site, energy requirements for the production of Cocoon cellulose insulation are substantially less than for equivalent amounts of fiberglass or other popular insulation materials. The product is also non-toxic because it contains no fiberglass or asbestos.
The Web site babazeka.com relates the story of a woman named Lungi, “the brains behind the fashionable and innovative range of recycled newspaper products made by Back2Life.”
“When she was a child, Lungi used to watch her grandmother weaving things using a traditional Zulu weave. After school, she studied fashion design, and so, using what she'd learned from her studies, and the weaving skills she learned from her grandmother, Lungi conceptualised the Back2life newspaper products. Because they’re made by hand, they can be made by anyone, so are helping to create jobs. Because they’re made from old newspapers and are covered in a biodegradable varnish, they are eco-friendly.”
Back2Life is run from a small warehouse in Woodstock, Cape Town, South Africa, where Lungi now employs 14 people. She wants to double this capacity during 2008.
The newspapers are sorted into piles according to colour, then cut into strips. The strips are rolled into straws, and then woven into large mats. The designs of the bowls and bags are cut from the mats and stitched together. Woven handles are attached if they’re needed. Lastly, each piece is coated in a biodegradable water and heat-resistant varnish.
