Sign of the Times as Roseville Newspaper Recycling Bins Head for Extinction

Evaporating demand for print newspapers

Roseville, Calif. – Print newspapers long served vitally important functions for communities while building powerful media empires in the process. Yet, with each passing day, the industry faces a grim outlook by almost any measure.

Local Impact

In a sign of the times, Roseville is phasing out newspaper recycling bins primarily for lack of use. The nearly empty bins also become easily littered with debris.

Beginning November 1, 2021, the remaining residents that utilize print news, will now be able to toss out newspapers along with their trash.

The City of Roseville cites the follow for removal of newspaper recycling.

• Lack of participation because of changes in how people receive news.
• Contaminated with illegal dumping.

Lack of demand, shuttered offices and plummeting revenues don’t bode well for an industry already in a decades-long decline.

Industry’s Golden Age

During the mid to late 20th century, residents relied on newspapers for local and national information. Unlike popular TV news channels of today, newspapers often provided broader diversity of thoughts on a wide range of topics. Civil discourse on opposing viewpoints free of vitriol was easy to find.

Topical interests for all age groups from comics and sports to stock prices and weather alongside news and investigative reporting allowed readers to explore current events and the world in the pre-Internet age.

Fueled by classified, display, and legal ads, the industry was a virtual money printing machine often operating with little to no competition. It was this combination of factors in our view that made it extremely resistant to change when the Internet came along.

For newspapers, it marked the end of the industry’s golden age of prosperity.