Don’t let old books waste away. There is no good at all to come from unread books stored away for many years, sat on shelves, or in attics, or perhaps even in the very doldrums of basements.  Like most people, you probably have a collection of old books that you’ve outgrown, or no longer need for school or work, or received as a gift but don’t plan to read.

The only thing worse than an unloved book in your home is a discarded book in a landfill. Although we do not have any definitive stats on the amount of unwanted, old books that are thrown away, it is widely thought that there are 78.4 million tons of paper and paperboard which reach our landfills each year.

Among that total are countless numbers of used books in great condition that could be saved from the waste stream and put into the hands of people who need and want them — children here and abroad in schools that have no financial resources for books, people in nursing homes and hospitals, children and adults who are learning to read, and people who just love books, love to read, and want to do their part to reduce unnecessary waste and help preserve the integrity of the environment.

When you donate, reuse, or recycle old books, you don’t just help keep them from overburdening our already bulging landfills; you also help preserve our natural resources. A ton of paper takes up about 3.3 cubic yards of space in a landfill, and it is estimated that 24 trees are needed to produce one ton of virgin printing paper.

How You Can Help

Sharing this article is a great way in which you can help (excuse the plug) and beyond making more people aware of the situation, here are some things which you can certainly do which will help to reduce the amount of old books which head to landfill.

Freecycle

The Freecycle network is a great place to give away things which you no longer want and if you are full up with old books then this is a great place to reach out and try and get rid of those books which you no longer need or want.

Reach Out

Reach out to local schools, hospitals and libraries who will love the chance of adding some books to their collection for free. Waiting rooms and school libraries are always ready to be stocked up with something new, or something old for that matter.

Recycle

If nobody wants those old books or perhaps they are outdated text books which you no longer require, you can always recycle them at a site such as Earth 911. Never throw the book away in the general waste as it will only go to landfill and occupy vast space. Always look to give the books away or look to recycle them wherever possible.

No more waste, let’s get those old books out and let someone else read them.