Freesheet battle 'adding to litter problems'
The battle between freesheet newspapers is adding to Dublin’s litter problem, the deputy Lord Mayor claimed today.
Thousands of copies of Metro and Herald AM titles have been handed out to the capital’s commuters every weekday morning since October 10.
But Green councillor Bronwen Maher claims many of the newspapers are being dumped in dustbins and clogging up landfill sites instead of being recycled.
“People seem to be abandoning them on the Dart, the Luas and on buses,” she said.
“Many of them are just thrown in bins which is clogging up the limited space available in landfill sites.”
The Clontarf representative also called on the newspaper industry to sign up to industry recycling body, Repak, so that the taxpayer doesn’t have to foot the bill for recycling its products.
“The people behind the Metro and Herald AM should install recycling bins at distribution points like Dart stations,” she added.
She said she will raise the matter at the next meeting of the Council’s Environment Strategic Policy Committee.
Metro claims to distribute over 50,000 copies at several locations across Dublin.
The freesheet is a joint venture between the Irish Times, Associated Newspapers and Metro International, the Swedish company that has pioneered free newspapers in both Europe and the US.
The Herald AM title is published by Independent News & Media Plc which also owns the Evening Herald.
