Recycle papers on Earth Day

MOUNT VERNON — Area residents will get a chance to help the environment and receive a free gift again this year on Earth Day. The Mount Vernon News will be collecting newspapers and magazines for recycling from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 21, at the News’ loading docks on South Gay Street.

“Anybody who brings in newspapers, magazines and a coupon from the News or Shoppers Mart will get one free month of the Mount Vernon News,” said Circulation Manager Mike McNichols. “It doesn’t matter if you are a subscriber or not. Just pull in, we’ll unload your vehicle and you’ll be on your way.”

This is the second year for the Earth Day recycling event, and the third time the News has accepted newsprint for recycling. Last April close to 30 bins were filled with recyclable materials. Containers for this year’s event will be provided by SBC Recycling, which will also recycle the papers.

Recycling is not anything new to the News, though. The paper has been using a percentage of recycled newsprint for several years and has recycled old ink for nearly 20 years.

“Before, we had about half the upstairs full of barrels of bad ink that we had to get rid of. Now we have a machine that does all the work,” said Pressroom Manager Dean Hammons. “When we dip the ink out of the fountains, we put all the recyclable in the ink room, then add virgin black, it recycles and then is pumped back to the tank.”

The ink is recycled about twice a month and about 2,500 pounds of black ink is used in the nearly 100 jobs the pressroom prints each month. The newsprint is 100 percent recycled paper, which has become more reliable and a better product in recent years, according to Hammons.

“It used to be a yellowish sheet when we first received it (recycled paper). Now it’s a lot whiter and brighter. It makes the colors stand out better,” he said.