Free newspapers are a common site in the London Tube stations. Venders hawk free newspapers outside of every busy station, which hardly any passengers refuse to take. Once in the train a sea of newspapers open as commuters spend their 20 minute ride to their destination learning about the world, checking the football schedule, or ogling at the “page 3 girl” of the day.
While free newspapers in the London tubes promote education and knowledge they also have some negative effects for Londoners. When tube riders are finished with their papers for the day many will leave them on the train or in the station with no way of recycling. Mike Tuffrey, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly environment spokesperson "Each and every day well over 1.5 million free newspapers are handed out to commuters and people travelling around London, yet the opportunities to recycle these papers as you travel remain totally pitiful.”
Tuffrey is urging the Mayor of London to ensure action is taken to improve recycling for London’s commuters. Tuffrey has received assurances from both the past and current mayor that recycling facilities for free newspapers will be dramatically improved. The free morning newspaper contract organized by Transport for London in April was to ensure that recycling facilities were put in place, but since then not one recycling bin has been placed in an underground station.
Mike Tuffrey states, "It is now time to start recycling newspapers, not excuses. We need real action to ensure that recycling facilities are as routine at every station as the free newspapers that are handed out. It should be as easy to recycle a free newspaper at tube or train station as it is to simply pick one up.”
Information found at the London Assembly of Liberal Democrats website at http://www.glalibdems.org.uk/index.html
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