Redistribute unsold children’s comics and magazines to charities and hospitals, says recycling company
Howard Lake | 30 April 2016 | News
Each week tens of thousands of unsold comics and magazines are returned from shops to retailers who then send them to be pulped. Why not redistribute them to hospitals and charities where they can be enjoyed?
That is the suggestion of recycling and waste disposal specialist BusinessWaste.co.uk.
According to the company, there’s a particular problem with comics for children which have free gifts attached to the front cover, meaning they are often sent to be burned or buried in landfill.
BusinessWaste.co.uk spokesperson Mark Hall says:
“It’s an extraordinary waste. Because there are thousands of kids who’d appreciate those comics and gifts.”
He added that all of these unsold publications are perfectly saleable.
He explained:
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“While some of these are retained for the back issue market, huge numbers are simply destroyed within days of being replaced on the shelves by the next edition. And with recycling figures stalling, it defies logic.”
He proposes an approved list of hospital children’s wards, nurseries, Sure Start centres and other organisations for young people which could receive a limited number of unsold comics and magazines for the enjoyment of patients and pupils.
Opportunity for charities
The idea would have to be self-sustainable. Hall said:
“It wouldn’t be a freebie. The magazines could be bought back from the wholesalers at a price to cover their costs, and could even be funded by charitable donations.”
He acknowledged that some shops might be concerned that the idea could reduce sales for them. He suggested that the scheme would initially be limited in scope to measure its impact.
Hall added:
“As a waste company we positively hate seeing perfectly good items destroyed,” he says, “And that’s why we want to see kids and comics reunited. It’ll be good for the environment, and it will be great for young imaginations, too.”
Image: Why not? by Rogistok on Shutterstock.com
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.