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Free newspapers are great to use for packing up your belongings to move house or to store away. Similarly, they’re good for extra coupons or just for something to read.
Where and How to Get Free Newspapers Near You
Want to know where to get free newspapers? Well, we’ve got the perfect list just for you. If you’re looking for free newspapers to use as packaging material when moving house (or general storage) you could save yourself a good chunk of cash. Grabbing them for some extra coupons or even to use for reading or cleaning is also a good idea.
You’re also doing a positive thing by being sustainable and reusing the newspapers rather than them being wasted.
But getting a hold of that many papers without paying anything can be tough, so let’s look at how you can easily collect them in your area today.
1. Ask at Hotels & Motels
Many hotels offer their customers complimentary newspapers during their stay. Additionally, those customers may buy their own papers and take them back to their rooms.
In both cases, they are very likely to leave those newspapers behind when they leave. Just think of how many papers you have at your fingertips.
Call the hotels and motels near you and explain that you’re willing to take any newspapers they have for free. They’ll be happy as it saves them the job and the cost of disposing of them.
2. Check Cafes & Coffee Shops
We’ve all seen it, and maybe some of us have done it. People grabbing a coffee, sitting and reading a newspaper, and then leaving it behind once they’re done.
Just set aside some time to visit local coffee shops and do a quick sweep of each to grab the newspapers that other people have left behind. You should have better luck heading there near the end of the day. You can also ask at the counter to see if they’ll save them for you for next time.
3. Ask Friends & Colleagues
Know any avid newspaper readers? Tell them you’re looking for free newspapers for packaging (or whatever you need it for) and that you’re willing to take them off their hands.
It keeps their trash or recycling bins empty so they’ll be happy to help you out while they help themselves!
4. Facebook Freebie Groups
Facebook groups have become a great place for people to offload or pass along things they don’t want anymore. If you get lucky, you might find people offering free newspapers in bulk near where you live.
If you can’t find anything, you can also post your own request. Tell people that you’re looking for free newspapers and you’re sure to get some bites for people looking to free up some space.
5. Retirement Homes
Physical newspaper sales are going down year on year as more people make the transition to online news. This will make your quest to find newspapers for free nearby more difficult.
But, the older generations are still actively buying newspapers. This is great news for you.
Head on over to your closest retirement home and ask them to keep newspapers that their residents have finished with.
6. Recycling Centres
If you’ve ever visited a recycling centre or one of those smaller recycling drop-off points you’ll have seen stacks of newspapers sitting next to the container. I’ve no idea why people go that far, and don’t drop it into the container, but that does work to your benefit.
Grab the old free newspaper bundles, and you’ve got all the free packing material you could ever need. Just make sure that they haven’t been sitting out in the rain or are otherwise damp.
7. Look on Trains/Other Public Transport
Other prime targets for collecting newspapers at no cost near you are trains and buses. People will often read a newspaper on the way to work and then leave it on the train/bus.
Often, free local papers are given out at train and bus stations, increasing the amount that you’ll find abandoned. For example, 2 million free newspapers are distributed on the London Underground every day.
8. Libraries
Libraries are great places to grab a free newspaper for packing or whatever your needs are. Some give papers out for nothing and people bring their own in to keep themselves entertained.
Either do a sweep of the library yourself or ask behind the desk if they can keep what they collect after the final clean-up each evening.
There is a crossover here with finding free money on the ground. Places with seating and high foot traffic are great for picking up some lost, free cash.
9. Ask at Fitness Centres and Gyms
If you’re a member of a gym you can often find free, old papers that others have left behind. Check the locker room or any seating areas. You can also ask the staff to keep a pile for you and not throw them away after the daily cleanups.
10. Your Local Newspaper Office
Check at your local newspaper office to grab some free old newspapers that didn’t sell or weren’t distributed. You might even get lucky and find some misprints that they’re willing to offload.
11. Universities and Colleges
Some universities and colleges will have their own student press. On top of that, there may be other complementary newspapers offered on campus. A lot of these will end up in the trash or scattered around on benches and common areas.
You can get free newspapers in bulk yourself if you have access to campus, or you can call in and request that any collected papers are kept to one side that you can then come to collect.
12. Airports
Airports are another good location to check. People will buy a newspaper to read while they wait to board and then just ditch them in seating areas. They might even get rid of them before they pass through security to drop some weight for their baggage.
Then, there are the stores themselves. If you ask nicely they may be willing to give you leftover newspapers from any batches that don’t sell during the day. Of course, this goes for any store that sells papers and not just those in airports.
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Read More13. Bookstores
Bookstores are another good source as they will either sell or offer newspapers at no cost to their customers. Rather than just grabbing them, make sure you talk to the bookstore staff.
As with a lot of other entries on this list, they will usually be happy to hand over the newspapers for free because it saves them the job of recycling them, themselves.
14. Parks and Public Seating Areas
On a nice sunny day, people will often take to the parks and other public places to relax and unwind. It’s not uncommon to take a newspaper with them and leave it on a bench when they’re done with it.
Taking a walk through the park should be able to grab a bunch of free newspapers for packing, cleaning, or whatever else.
15. Job Centres
There’s a lot of waiting around at job centres, and when people are waiting they often bring something to read with them. That makes it a fantastic source to get newspapers for zero cost.
Either grab what people leave behind or ask the job centre staff to put them aside for you. You should be able to get a large number of newspapers without too much trouble.
If you’re at the job centre yourself looking for work, remember that you can fill the gap by earning money online while you job seek.
16. Shopping Malls
Shopping malls are full of seating areas and equally full of bored people, or those passing the time. Check the seating areas and you will be able to grab newspapers that have been left behind.
Again, as with other items on the list check stores that typically sell newspapers near the end of the day and try your luck to get a batch of them for nothing.
17. Museums & Galleries
Museums are good locations to scout for newspapers. People will sit and relax by reading in any seating areas or cafes.
A lot of museums are free, so you can just wander in, grab your papers and get them back home to start packing up your belongings (if that’s what you need them for).
18. Fast Food Chains
Reading a newspaper in fast food chains is a common sight. That’s good news for you and your no-cost newspaper search. Settle down with a coffee and keep an eye on the other people around you. If they leave a paper on a seat, grab it. If they’re heading towards the trash with a paper, ask politely if you can take it off their hands.
19. Salons, Spas & Barbers
Another location where people are sitting around and waiting for long periods of time. And as we’ve noted over and over again above, when people are bored they read the paper.
The salon or barbers will generally put out papers for people to read for free, or people will bring their own.
Find out what time they close and head in 10 minutes before to offer to take them and save them the need to recycle them.
20. Laundromat
Another store, another reason to wait. If people are waiting for an hour or more while their laundry finishes, they’ll go out and grab a newspaper to read.
They’ll have read over it back to front so many times that they’ll be happy to drop it on the counter when they go.
You’ll be there to pick up these newspapers for gratis. Just make sure that they’re finished reading it first!
21. Convenience Store & Newsagents
Going to the distributor is a great timesaver. Rather than chasing down a newspaper here or there, you can go to the source and get free newspapers in bulk.
Pre-empt it by offering to take the papers that they don’t sell (and can’t return) at the end of the day. Make it clear that you’re wanting them at no cost but explain that it will help them because they don’t need to get rid of them any other way.
Tip:Â Think about places where people are going to spend time sitting. Think about where they are going to be bored. These are the places where people are likely to leave newspapers behind for you to grab.
Free Newspapers in Bulk
Out of our list above, if you’re really needing newspapers in bulk then you need to go to the source, to a distributor, or to someone who has hoarded them, rather than picking them up one by one.
Using newspapers for packing/packaging, especially when moving home can require a whole load of newspapers. But if you’re able to get them in bulk, it can save you an absolute fortune.
What we’d suggest if you need a lot of newspapers at no cost:
- Local newspaper office.
- Convenience stores/newsagents
- From individuals in bulk:
- Facebook groups.
- Craigslist.
- Other pass-it-on pages/sites.
Just make sure that you’re able to transport them in bulk with some kind of carrier or car. There’s nothing worse than getting what you need from one location but not being able to get them home.
Final Thoughts
We’ve covered where to find free newspapers, and as you can see there are lots of options. It will take a little effort, to look for them or to ask various stores or establishments. But it’s well worth the effort because you’re getting them at no cost.
Whether you need newspapers for packing for moving to a new house, for general storage, for crafting projects, or just to read then you’ll be able to find plenty of old papers using our list above.
Good luck, and happy paper hunting!
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