Where do all the unsold papers and magazines go?

[Impret-Sir]

Not sure that this is the right catagory for this question, but anyway, I often wonder what happens to all the mags and papers that shops like WH Smiths dont sell each month, there must be lots, particularly the less 'mainstream' titles, are they taken back by the printers to be re-cycled, or does the shop send them for salvage? I presume that they are re-cycled somewhere, but it must amount to tons of paper nationally.

[boobesque]

my newsgents have them collected when the new issues are dropped off and the old ones are recycled. one of the other newsagents sells them to one of our market traders who sells them on his stall along with books.

[Impret-Sir]

Selling them on the market!, what a good idea, no-one where I live does that, pity!

[gary baldy]

As the son of a (ex) newsagent i can tell you. Most mags are on sale or return. If they dont sell they are returned to the wholesaler who will then return some to the publisher who sells them as back issues or the wholesaler must dispose of them. Those on 'firm sale' to the newsagent if not sold must also be disposed of. I used to think it was a big waste so i used to give a lot to local play groups, who could cut them up and the like - you had to be careful what mags you gave them though!
Recycling is a bit more advanced than it was when we had the shop so i'm hoping most get recycled.

[boobesque]

its not too bad, depends on the kind of mag, the man on the market sells womens monthly mags and pc mags, things that wouldnt really date. i went to one in another town that was selling tv guides - for 3 months previous!

[bubblebubble]

Homes & Gardens and Country Living always end up in your dentist's and doctor's waiting rooms...it's a conspiracy by the government to engender feelings of envy in the general population...leading to ambition and social-climbing and eventually going private for dentists and doctors, thus relieving the government of hefty national health bills. A healthy mind is a healthy body, and so on...

[dmh205]

i knwo exactly what happens to them. all the papaers that dont sell in the day or returned back to the manufacturer where the papaers can be recycled. and with magazines that are on the shelves longer if there are still some left over they are returned in the same way

[VS2]

boobesque - I am interested to buy such magazines from your local market traders stands, where is this market ?