Books are some of the easiest items to reduce, re-use and recycle. Follow these guidelines.

Go digital. If you are not going to pass the book along to others, then digital may be the best option. This eliminates all the energy, water and materials used for producing and transporting books.

Donate unwanted books. Books of all kinds can be donated to libraries, schools, charities and our own Little Free Libraries. 

Save books....create your own library. Many books stand the test of time, and are relevant and useful decades later. These may be keepers, and will save you money in the future. If that's not a good option, use the donation guidelines above.

Make art, not trash. Select artists and art teachers will accept books for craft and fine art projects.

Recycle. When every other option has been exhausted, recycling is the way to go. All paper parts of a book, including cover, pages and paper bindings are recyclable. If your book has a plastic laminate, or a cloth cover and binding, pull that off before recycling.

Don't overlook items that look like books. These include the following items which can be donated or recycled:

  • Magazines and catalogs
  • Telephone directories
  • School texts
  • Coloring, puzzle and workbooks
  • Manuals and instructions
  • Journals and notebooks
  • Composition books, loose leaf and other notebooks. (Please remove binders and spiral pieces prior to recycling.)