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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 035-08
January 30, 2008

MAYOR BLOOMBERG LAUNCHES REMIX: RECYCLING MAGAZINES IS EXCELLENT!

National Partnership Kicks-Off Ambitious Campaign to Promote Magazine and Catalog Recycling in New York City

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the New York City launch of ReMix - Recycling Magazines is Excellent! - a national public education campaign aimed at increasing residential recycling of magazines and catalogs. Beginning next week, ReMix promotions will appear across New York City, in full-page public service advertisements in consumer magazines including TIME, Cosmopolitan, Country Living and Sports Illustrated as well as on buses and subways, in movie theatres, on cable television, and in other outlets. The total value of paid placements and in-kind donations for the ReMix campaign will top $3 million. The ReMix national campaign was started by Time Inc., with partners Verso Paper and the National Recycling Coalition. Joining the ReMix effort for the New York City campaign is the Hearst Corporation, Pratt Industries, Time Warner Cable, the Council on the Environment of New York City (CENYC) and its Office of Recycling Outreach and Education (OROE) and the Department of Sanitation (DSNY).

"To meet the ambitious goals in our landmark Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP), we need to increase recycling rates, and we know we can do a better job recycling magazines and catalogs," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Many New Yorkers don't realize that magazines, catalogs, phone books, and other kinds of paper are just as recyclable as newspapers and office paper. I'd like to thank our ReMix campaign partners for doing their part to increase magazine and catalog recycling and for joining our effort to build a greener, greater New York."

The ReMix campaign began when a study by Time Inc. and Verso Paper found that while 95 percent of all unsold newsstand magazines are recycled by newsstands and publishers, only about 17 percent of sold magazines are recycled. Before the launch of the New York City campaign, ReMix pilot programs were successfully conducted in Boston; Prince George's County, Maryland; Milwaukee and Portland, Oregon.

Started by global magazine publisher Time Inc., leading magazine and catalog paper producer Verso Paper and the National Recycling Coalition (NRC), the ReMix campaign has since grown to include many New York City partners including: the Hearst Corporation and its Hearst Magazines unit; Pratt Industries, which recycles more than 300,000 tons of New York's waste paper at its Staten Island mill and converts it into corrugated packaging; and Time Warner Cable, New York City's largest cable TV operator and America's second largest cable TV company with nearly 15 million subscribers.

"Our national research showed that Americans support recycling, but are often uncertain about what can be recycled," said National Recycling Coalition Executive Director Kate Krebs. "We know that New Yorkers have embraced recycling as a way to keep waste out of landfills and improve the environment. Today, the Mayor and City officials, leading companies and advocacy organizations are launching ReMix in New York City to make sure everyone knows just how easy it is to recycle magazines and catalogs right along with their other paper recycling."

"As the Department of Sanitation works to make our city not only cleaner, but greener, we are always looking for ways to reach out to the public to encourage them to recycle," said Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty. "This public awareness program, supported by leaders in the City's magazine industry, can help us turn a new page in reducing our solid waste by getting more New Yorkers to recycle magazines, instead of tossing them into the trash."

"From buses, subways and billboards to movie theaters, cable television,  New York City taxi cabs and the Department of Sanitation's Waste Less web site, New Yorkers will be seeing ReMix messages across the city," said David Hurd, Director of the Office of Recycling Outreach and Education.

"Today's leadership companies recognize that holistically integrating environmental issues into their business operations promotes a sustainable world," said Time Inc. Director of Sustainable Development David Refkin. "ReMix is one of several partnerships we are engaged in to find solutions to today's most challenging environmental issues.  As a New York City-based company, Time is thrilled to bring ReMix to our home town."

"We want to be sure that consumers in our nation's media and retail capital understand that magazines and catalogs can and should be recovered and recycled into other products," said Verso President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Jackson. "Today, more than half - 53.4 percent - of all paper consumed in the United States is recovered for reuse.  By focusing on catalogs and magazines, we can do even better.  And, as an added benefit, diverting magazines and catalogs from landfills for recycling into other products helps reduce methane emissions by reducing the amount of paper that biodegrades in landfills."

"Recovery and reuse is one of the cornerstones of Hearst's sustainable paper platform and increasing the recovery of magazines will help meet the growing demand for recovered paper," said Hearst Enterprises Vice President and General Manager David Schirmer. "ReMix is a natural companion to our recently launched 'Please Recycle' logo and we are excited about being a part of the New York launch."

"The ReMix program is a wonderful opportunity to get New Yorkers to recycle more paper," said Pratt Industries Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Anthony Pratt. "We're proud of our role in helping New York recycle, turning paper that might otherwise go to landfills into new paper products made in the city by New Yorkers. Recycling is a major weapon against climate change - every ton of paper we divert from the landfill saves 1.2 tons of greenhouse gas emissions from going into the atmosphere."

ReMix is coordinated locally by the Council on the Environment of New York City's (CENYC) Office of Recycling Outreach and Education and the New York City Department of Sanitation.  Residents who want more information about ReMix and magazine and catalog recycling may call 311 or visit www.nyc.gov.

 

About the Partners

Time Inc.
Time Inc.’s (www.timeinc.com ) more than 125 magazine titles are read more than 250 million times worldwide each month. The company’s magazines account for 18.7 percent of the total advertising revenue for U.S. consumer magazines. Time Inc’s most significant titles include Time, People, Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly, Fortune, InStyle and Real Simple. Time Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., a leading media and entertainment company, whose businesses include interactive services, cable systems, filmed entertainment, television networks and publishing.

Verso Paper
Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Verso Paper (www.versopaper.com) is a leading North American producer of coated papers, including coated groundwood and coated freesheet, and supercalendered products.  Verso’s paper products are used primarily in media and marketing applications, including magazines, catalogs and commercial printing applications such as high-end advertising brochures, annual reports and direct-mail advertising.

National Recycling Coalition
Founded in 1978, the National Recycling Coalition (www.nrc-recycle.org) is the largest national nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement and improvement of recycling, waste prevention, composting and reuse. NRC’s objective is to eliminate waste and promote sustainable economies through advancing sound management practices for raw materials in North America. NRC is an IRS tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization with members that span all aspects of waste reduction, reuse and recycling in North America. The Coalition represents advocates from every region of the country, in every sector of the waste reduction field, including local recycling coordinators, state and federal regulators, corporate environmental managers, environmental educators and advocates, consumers and waste management professionals. 

Hearst Corporation
Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com ) is one of the nation's largest diversified media companies. Its major interests include ownership of 12 daily and 31 weekly newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, SanFrancisco Chronicle, and Albany Times Union; as well as interests in an additional 47 daily and 38 non-daily newspapers owned by MediaNews Group; nearly 200 magazines around the world, including Cosmopolitan and O, The Oprah Magazine; 29 television stations through Hearst-Argyle Television (NYSE:HTV) which reach a combined 18% of U.S. viewers; ownership in leading cable networks, including Lifetime, A&E, The History Channel and ESPN; as well as business publishing, including a joint venture interest in Fitch Ratings; Internet businesses, television production, newspaper features distribution and real estate.

Pratt Industries
Pratt Industries (www.prattindustires.com) is America’s 7th largest paper and packaging company with annual sales approaching $1 billion. The company, which employs 3,500 people in the United States, was founded some 20 years ago.  Its operations are based in Conyers, Ga., and have shown dramatic growth since the mid 1990s, with sophisticated manufacturing facilities in more than 20 states.  Pratt operates two of the most modern, cost-effective paper mills in the country, as well as a series of sheet and box plants strategically placed throughout the eastern United States offering a wide range of creative packaging solutions.

Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable of NYC (www.timewarnercable.com/nynj/ ) brings three key telecommunication services to more than a million New York City households: cable TV, high speed online and home telephone service.  A broad spectrum of digitally delivered, fiber-rich products are available from Road Runner to Digital Phone and NY 1 on Demand.  A pioneer in urban cable service, the company has consistently brought innovation and technology together to provide its customers with the highest caliber of choice, value and service. 

The Council on the Environment of New York City (CENYC), Office of Recycling Outreach and Education (OROE)
CENYC (www.cenyc.org) is a hands-on non-profit that has been improving New York City’s environment since 1970.   CENYC achieves its mission through a variety of programs, including the Office of Recycling Outreach and Education. OROE was created in 2006 with the passage of Mayor Bloomberg’s landmark Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) and it selected CENYC to operate the new office. OROE staff works with the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to increase recycling participation and diversion and to promote waste reduction, reuse and composting efforts. OROE’s primary focus is to train and educate building service personnel and occupants on the methods, requirements and importance of NYC’s curbside recycling program.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Stu Loeser/Jason Post   (212) 788-2958

Vito Turso   (Sanitation)
(646) 885-5020

David Hurd (CENYC/OROE)   (212) 341-9894

Kate Krebs (NRC)   (202) 222-8843

Jane Lehman (Time Inc.)   (212) 522-0602

Craig Liska (Verso Paper)   (901) 369-4221

Paul Luthringer (Hearst)   (212) 649-2540

Michael O’Regan (Pratt)   (845) 494-1511




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