Free newspaper boxes, much like free libraries, can be amazing contributors to community engagement. There are multiple papers in Vancouver that stock boxes across the city with weekly publications in various languages that spread hyper-local stories and information. (Note: Vancouver Is Awesome is among those publications.)
The boxes are largely located in high foot traffic areas with the intention of servicing pedestrians and commuters, but the high-profile locations can also lead to another set of problems, including cleanliness and safety. As a result, those seeking the latest copy of a local paper may find their usual box in rough shape and wonder who is responsible for taking care of the mess.
While the City of Vancouver permits newspaper boxes on the street, they remain the property of the publishers and it is their responsibility to clean and maintain them. Oftentimes, maintenance can be time-consuming and expensive according to V.I.A. parent company Glacier Media's distribution manager Miguel Black.
Nine times out of 10, says Black, when crews go to deliver papers, the boxes have garbage in them (something most Vancouverites who have walked past a bank of boxes can also attest to).
The struggles of maintaining free newspaper boxes
When delivery crews encounter boxes full of garbage, if it's minimal they will clear it and restock the box. However, sometimes cleaning crews with hazardous material disposal equipment and training are needed because, Black confirms, feces and needles have been found inside boxes in the past.
Vancouver residents are able to submit 311 reports about problems with newspaper boxes. The reports get sent to the corresponding publisher and they are given two to three business days to address the issue.
Otherwise, the City is largely hands-off when it comes to the boxes, aside from significant safety matters. In recent years, there have been concerns surrounding explosives and newspaper boxes (as well as post boxes) being used for attacks during large-scale events like the Olympics.
"With regard to event safety, we frequently ask for newspaper boxes to be relocated/removed from areas where large crowds will be gathered for an event," a spokesperson for the city tells V.I.A. over email. "This is to mitigate risks associated with newsboxes being climbed on, knocked over, or used to hide dangerous devices, etc."
Hit by cars, blown up
Indeed, Black says that people have blown up boxes before.
He says that people attempt to break the newspaper boxes, either by filling them with fireworks, attempting to pull them apart, or both. There are also instances where boxes are hit by cars.
In these cases, the damage can leave dangerous sharp and jagged metal pieces on the boxes and it becomes unsafe for crews to fix them on-site so they are removed for repairs.
"It's a never-ending game," he says. Sometimes, boxes are removed from locations because they are regularly vandalized and it becomes too expensive to keep fixing them. He recalls instances when boxes would be cleaned and less than 10 minutes later tagged again.
Earlier this month, Charles Gauthier, former DVBIA CEO, noted on social media that the City of Vancouver opted to remove a bank of newspaper boxes from outside of the Marine Drive Canada Line station because they were frequently being filled with garbage.
The City has since told V.I.A. that they were not responsible for the boxes' removal and Black confirms he doesn't know where they went either.
The box's whereabouts remains a mystery.
