A new challenge for waste diversion hit the streets this morning in Winnipeg. The Metro is a free daily newspaper marketed towards commuters, bus passengers, and downtown pedestrians. It is available in several other major cities across Canada. As of this week, it arrives in Winnipeg. It weighs 60 grams. With an expected 15 000 copies to be printed daily, it will use 300 tonnes of paper annually.

While it is great to have more sources of news and information – and we are happy to see the paper even has its own Green Page – we hope that their publisher, Steve Shrout, has been working with Multi-Materials Stewardship Manitoba to ensure that all the paper is properly recycled. Products that are designed to be consumed away from home are difficult to collect and recycle. There be will need for new infrastructure and collection points downtown to receive the thousands of tabloids that will be discarded every day.

Welcome to Winnipeg, Metro, but please clean up after yourself when you are done.