By Judy Roberts
Don’t let your treasured volumes waste away sitting unread on a dusty, old shelf. How sad for a great story to be packed away in a box, stashed away in an attic or a dark basement, never to be enjoyed again. Most of us have a few books that we no longer read, have outgrown or don’t plan to read.
The only thing worse than an unloved book in your house, is a good book in the trash. Many, many used books in good condition can be saved from our landfills and given to people who will read and love them.
Here are ten ways to recycle an old book:
1. You can gift a stack to your local library. They’ll pick out the ones they need and the rest they’ll sell at their annual book sale, and you’ll get a tax deduction.
2. You can gift a stack to your local school. School libraries are always in need of books. Books for really young children can be gifted to a nearby daycare.
3. You can give them to your local thrift shop. They’ll resell them.
4. You can take them to a book resale or secondhand store. Some will take vintage books on consignment, and some will give you a credit towards a future purchase. You can even donate your credit to your local school or other group.
5. You can conveniently “leave” them at coffee shops and bus stops. There’s a whole network set up to do that. One is called bookcrossing.com. At bookcrossing.com, you register a book you want to give away, place a sticker on it indicating that you’ve set the book free, and then leave it in a public place such as a coffee shop, bus station or waiting room.
6. There’s an online book sharing program called bookmooch.com. It’s free to register, and then you can give away or exchange your old books for new ones you want to read.
7. There are crafts created with old books. You can make a book-safe to store valuables.
8. You can use a book to prop up a too short table leg
9. Use them as a decorative feature under a lamp.
10. Drop them off at a nursing home, hospital, homeless shelter, or adult literacy program. They’ll be greatly appreciated there.
Mark Twain once said “The main who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” All the more reason to share your good books with someone today.
Don’t let your treasured volumes waste away sitting unread on a dusty, old shelf. How sad for a great story to be packed away in a box, stashed away in an attic or a dark basement, never to be enjoyed again. Most of us have a few books that we no longer read, have outgrown or don’t plan to read.
The only thing worse than an unloved book in your house, is a good book in the trash. Many, many used books in good condition can be saved from our landfills and given to people who will read and love them.
Here are ten ways to recycle an old book:
1. You can gift a stack to your local library. They’ll pick out the ones they need and the rest they’ll sell at their annual book sale, and you’ll get a tax deduction.
2. You can gift a stack to your local school. School libraries are always in need of books. Books for really young children can be gifted to a nearby daycare.
3. You can give them to your local thrift shop. They’ll resell them.
4. You can take them to a book resale or secondhand store. Some will take vintage books on consignment, and some will give you a credit towards a future purchase. You can even donate your credit to your local school or other group.
5. You can conveniently “leave” them at coffee shops and bus stops. There’s a whole network set up to do that. One is called bookcrossing.com. At bookcrossing.com, you register a book you want to give away, place a sticker on it indicating that you’ve set the book free, and then leave it in a public place such as a coffee shop, bus station or waiting room.
6. There’s an online book sharing program called bookmooch.com. It’s free to register, and then you can give away or exchange your old books for new ones you want to read.
7. There are crafts created with old books. You can make a book-safe to store valuables.
8. You can use a book to prop up a too short table leg
9. Use them as a decorative feature under a lamp.
10. Drop them off at a nursing home, hospital, homeless shelter, or adult literacy program. They’ll be greatly appreciated there.
Mark Twain once said “The main who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” All the more reason to share your good books with someone today.
1 Comment:
Some great ideas here, thanks for sharing them!
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