Seventy newspaper publishers reporting to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources reported a flat 43% use of recycled-content newsprint by their publications in 2000.
A healthy year for publishers in 2000, however, meant an overall increase in recycled newsprint tonnage used, from 87,000 tons in 1999 to 96,000 tons last year.
A majority of the state’s publishers—56 out of 70—met the state’s target of using 50% or more recycled content. However, since several of the publications that ignored the target were among the largest volume publishers, the state’s publishers fell 7% short of reaching the overall target.
Forty-one publications—including the Columbia Daily Tribune, the National Catholic Reporter and the St. Louis Business Journal—used 100% recycled content newsprint.
The state’s largest newsprint consumer, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, mirrored the state average by using 43% recycled content newsprint. Larger publications that fell short of the target included the Wall Street Journal, which used just 16.9% recycled content, and the Springfield News-Leader, which used just 9% recycled content newsprint.