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Pick'N'Mix Newspapers

 No more sports supplements for me
  (+10, -1)(+10, -1)
(+10, -1) 		  [vote for,
against]

Time and again with the weekend papers I find myself taking unread sports/business/etc supplements and putting them straight in the recycling bin. They have had no purpose from the moment they were inked with information in which I have no interest.

With Pick'N'Mix Newspapers, you would take only the supplements that were of interest to you. Each one would have a certain number of credits allotted to it which you would accumulate for each that you didn't take. You could then use these credits to take bits of other newspapers that you do want.

This would have several advantages. Waste in terms of unread supplements would be cut; Paper waste would be reduced, as the newspaper producers could cut down on production of supplements which interest few people (though in practice this may be balanced out by increased demand for others); Consumers would get better value from their paper.

This system would not replace the current one, rather sit alongside it, so those who like their paper complete and unadulterated need not worry.

—-alx, May 14 2002

Print-on-demand newspaper kiosks http://www.halfbake...0newspaper_20kiosks
Similar problem, different approach [-alx, May 14 2002, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Rethinking Recycling http://www.heartlan...hday96/recyclin.htm
When and when not to recycle [-alx, May 15 2002, last modified Oct 05 2004]


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Annotation:







       This would require some work on the presses, but might be a hit.
—phoenix, May 14 2002
   

       The biggest problem I see with this is delivery. The current system delivers a uniform product to every house that takes delivery. This system would require either that the papers are marked for who they belong to and sorted for delivery, or that they be assembled at your doorstop by the paper carrier.
—mwburden, May 14 2002
   

       Then stop the delivery. Whats wrong with buying newspapers from a newsagents anyway?
—[ sctld ], May 14 2002
   

       I'm no marketing guy but it seems like this could be a pain for the marketing folks at the newspaper. The distribution numbers would be different for each section of the paper. Might be beneficial for selling ad space, might be detrimental, I dunno. Just a thought.
—half, May 14 2002
   

       Can't go out to the news-agen'ts in your bedroom slippers on a Sunday morning!   

       But going to the news agents only moves the issue up one step, anyway. You still have to deliver a specific paper to a specific location and keep it sorted so that when Mr. Jones arrives to get his paper it doesn't take an hour to find it!
—mwburden, May 14 2002
   

       I saw this idea more as Mr. Jones going to the newsagents and making his own selection from the options available there.
—-alx, May 14 2002
   

       excellent. cannot see any problem with this at all. its a buyers market after all. paperboys can bring all the papers and allow us to pic n mix on the doorstep. or we can order via the internet and the newsagent can deliver. croissant. alx
—po, May 14 2002
   

       at least you recycle the unwanted parts.
—kaz, May 14 2002
   

       This always gets me into trouble, but I'll say it anyway:   

       It's not actually good for the enviroment to recycle paper. It's better to burn it, and reclaim energy that way, once you consider the power it takes to run the recycling plant etc.   

       In terms of deforestation, nearly all paper is taken from managed forests, which replant enough trees to maintain the status quo.
—yamahito, May 14 2002
   

       but then when u burn it, you are going to get soot and carbon monoxide and etc etc... I feel that the pick n mix is a good idea, at least I can pick the favourite sections without wasting the others. How about trying it on self-helped booth like in UK (you insert the coins and just take the sections u want..) but advertisement may be a problem, bcos the press earns most of its money from ads..
—hangman, May 15 2002
   

       [yamahito] That's not strictly true. With newsprint it makes more sense to recycle, though that's not the case with all paper production. See link, in final section.
—-alx, May 15 2002
   

       Superb. I could really use this. In my household we often end up buying two or three newspapers at the weekend, sometimes just for one specific section of each. I imagine if it did start to happen, The Guardian would need to print off about 5 times as many copies of The Editor as usual.
—stupop, May 15 2002
   

       I'm imagining, for instance, the Post having 'The Post-- Sports', 'The Post-- Arts & Leisure', and 'The Post-- Business,' each about a nickel (or equivalent) apiece, along with a main section, which is a dime. Is this correct?
—watermelancholy, Aug 16 2002
   

       I was thinking of this today, whilst weeding through two zillion pages of throw away rubbish, wasted resources, etc.   

       Why not a "non-circular" version to start things out, just for paper machines.   

       For at home delivery, there would be a Sunday, "I'll take Target and Wal-mart, the help wanted, and the crossword. Leave the other crap out thank you".   

       It's really needed.
—blissmiss, Aug 28 2006
   


 

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