Tips for Recycling Books

Now that you’ve gone through your summer reading or finished up your most recent semester at school, what do you do with your unwanted books? Find local resources and internet sites where you can donate, sell or swap your books.

1. Donate your books to a local library or school. They may use your books or sell them at fundraisers. Either way, you’re helping these organizations fundraise.
2. Bring them to a charitable organization or thrift store like Goodwill. By doing so, you can enable those less fortunate to purchase books at lower costs than would be found at a retailer.
3. Donate to a hospital, hospice, or assisted living center where patients can make an “escape” to new places and adventures through stories. Especially for those in bad health, books can provide a much-needed distraction.
4. Make it a social event. Throw a party where you and your closest friends trade your favorite books. Not only will you have fun, but each of you will save money (and trees) by reading a used book.
5. Take advantage of handy sites like PaperBackSwap.com, BookMooch.com, or Freecycle.com to trade your books with other bookworms. Thousands of people have given and received books using these resources.
6. Sell your books on sites like eBay or Craigslist, or in second-hand bookstores. These sites and stores are great places to put a little more “green” in your wallet and keep useable books from the waste stream. You’ll also help other readers save money by buying used, rather than from a retailer.

These small efforts amount to big savings in energy, water, waste and consumption of virgin materials. By being conscientious of the environmental impacts and money-saving effects of recycling books, recycling is easier than ever before.