You can make a midnight run on recycling night. ;)

For a more dignified approach, how about asking on freecycle or craigslist? I'm sure you will get many people willing to put aside their recycling for you. I've actually gotten items like paper bags and milk jugs from there, just for asking.

And perhaps places like libraries or stores that put out newspapers for recycling can be a source. (although I believe stores usually return the papers for credit).

Good luck!
:)
Dee

I have relatives who save their papers for me -
You might also check with some of the fast food places who provide newspaper for their customers - they might would bundle them up and save them for you.
BBH

I use cardboard, I just put in a 10X25 foot bed using it, we just installed kitchen cabinets. For cardboard: family, friends and large appliance dealers.

For the cardboard, try the florists...their flowers (except ours) come in boxes that are long and wide and about perfect for beds!

I use about 12 sheets of newsprint first, something in the ink smothers weeds, then the cardboard, then chips or mulch...works really well. I'd let it sit for a while before planting through it, unless you put this around existing plants.

Good luck!
Wendy

Well, nobody recycles newspapers like the newspaper!

Seriously, just call your area newspaper offices and ask them for leftovers. I work for a weekly paper, and we have people, including some regulars, who come in every week to get bundles of old papers for various reasons. Newspaper offices will keep a few copies of each issue, but they recycle heaps of them that are left over, plus they subscribe to dozens of other papers and have those piling up every week as well. It's mostly first come, first served around here, but we will even set aside a bundle for you if you call ahead.

It's also possible to get blank newsprint on a roll - the newspaper without anything printed on it. People love that for packing cause they don't get their hands dirty. Course, that's not really an issue for gardeners!

Cardboard will break down faster, according to folks who do lasagna gardening. It has more air spaces, which increases the activity of the "micro-herd" that is breaking down organic matter in and on the soil.

I use both, but I recently switched to cardboard because it's more readily available, and it takes fewer pieces to cover the area I want to cover. That means less labor for me.

The local newspaper is glad to give me what they have when I call, though.

Our "local" Newspaper is now 25 miles away, they closed the local office. I used to get rolls and extras from them when they were in town.
FreeCycle/Craiglist hasn't really caught on here for some reason, I had them cancel my membership I was getting daily emails for baby clothes given away or people asking for big items for free, like bedroom suites, with the matresses and box springs! Craiglist, this winter I emailed about 3 woodburners and never got any replies, posted some wants and no replies.
It's weird around here, the local school district shredds all paper and pays to have it hauled away, when I asked about getting it for animal bedding , gees.. what a red tape process. When I told the high school about collecting clean yogurt cups and cookie wrappers for a fund raising project where I could get collection containers, free shipping and 3 to 5 cents per item, it was too much trouble.
Even when I offered to pick up and ship out.
With a 7 week illness, I am way behind, so I hope I can find other sources for newspaper.
Beside where I work is a furniture store, maybe they have some larger cardboard.

busylizzy, you got all those e-mails from freecycle because you didn't set your preferences a certain way. You can have it set so you get EVERYTHING ever posted e-mailed to you (which might be the default, and is probably what you were set to) or you can set it to get absolutely no e-mails, and you just check the site at your convenience, or you can set it so you get important e-mails from the moderators regarding rules and regs, etc., and then check the site for postings at your convenience. This third option is the one I checked off and I only get about two e-mails every few months from the moderators regarding a rule change or a rule reminder.

You might want to give it another try!

:)
Dee