Friends of the Earth Birmingham Action Briefing Aug 98/Sep 98

Newspaper Day of Action

On Saturday 27th June a group of Birmingahm FOE volunteers participated in a Newspaper Day of Action on the streets of Birmingham City Centre. This was part of a national FOE campaign to raise public awareness and support for the Recycled Content Newsprint Bill whose aim is to increase the recycled content of newspaper from 40% to a minimum of 80% by the year 2010.

A visual display of the current rate of recycling in newsprint was presented to Birmingham shoppers with two contrasting piles of newspapers: one showing the 25% of papers currently using recycled fibres compared with 75% of un-recycled.

The reaction of shoppers and local media was very positive. Over 200 petition signatures in support of the Bill were collected on the day alone. This petition is now available in the Warehouse Reception for you to sign- please do!

More details on this Bill are available from FOE. Please write a letter to your local MP encouraging them to support the Bill through Parliament. Contact Reception if you need details of your local MP.

Sylvia Hadley