Now that's recycling

'[In 19th century Britain] newspaper readership had increased startlingly since 1730, encouraged by increases in population, the growth of literacy, and the reduction in 1836 and then abolition in 1855 of the stamp tax. Already in 1782, 61 newspapers were being published in Britain. By 1790 there were 114, by 1821, 216 and by 1833, 369 (London alone had 13 daily papers in 1833).

These newspapers did not have large circulations by current standards. Even in 1837 The Times' circulation (at the height of its powers) was only 11,000. But their readership was greater than their circulation might imply - by one estimate, in the 1830s each copy of a London paper was read by 30 people, and each copy of a provincial paper by between eight and 30 people'

- N. Thrift, 'Transport and Communication 1730-1914', in R.A. Dodgshon & R.A. Butlin, An Historical Geography of England & Wales (2nd ed.), 1990, p.469. Emphasis added.