Magazines Have Their Own Recycling Conspiracy to Grapple With

Last week, we ran a [cover story where we concocted conspiracies] born from suspicions New Yorkers love to discuss that included curiosities and sometimes far-fetched theories about the workings of unseen underworlds that go unnoticed as we bustle to and fro on the city streets. We had some suspicions that our painstaking efforts to separate and recycle to reduce environmental damage were all in vain – "Recycling is expensive and we're in a recession, people! Thus, while some of the time your sutff really is regenerated into one of those coffee-cup sleeves make from 60-percent consumer recycled material, The Man likes to cut down on costs…"

As it turns out, "The Man" is not only cutting down on costs, but flat-out lying about it. The [Magazine Publishers of America have created campaign] with a "Please Recycle This Magazine" logo designed to be display prominently on magazines to encourage readers not to trash their subway reading material.

Portfolio's media blogger Jeff Bercovici however, believes that big publishing companies are telling us to do as they say and not as they do [in a post about the campaign].

"Or how about just making sure that that people who work in the magazine industry have a chance to recycle their own copies? At a certain major magazine publisher -- because I work there, I won't reveal its name other than to say it makes up the first two words in the name of my magazine -- it's an open secret that the ubiquitous blue recycling bins actually get emptied into the trash. I'm still waiting to hear back from a spokeswoman about just why it is this company, which is known for lavishing money on its top editors and executives in the form of clothing allowances and no-interest loans, and which always has a line of Town Cars idling outside its 43rd Street entrance, can't seem to find a way to recycle the tons upon tons of paper it discards every year, as its two main competitors, Hearst and Time Inc., already do. And seeing as this company is a member of MPA, and thus a de facto sponsor of its 'Please Recycle This Magazine' campaign, it would seem just a tad hypocritical not to address this matter in short order."

Hmm…Perhaps the conspiracy wasn't so far fetched after all.