Where To Recycle Books
The best way to recycle a book is to donate it. However, if you dont want to deal with finding the place for donation, you dont want to hassle with transport and shipping, or this simply isnt an option for you, the next best thing is to find a book recycling center.
They will know what to do with old textbooks and how to recycle hardcover books.
You can also recycle a book by using curbside recycling and dumping it in the proper bin. But, if theres no recycling service, or you dont know where to recycle your textbooks, you can find a recycling center.
Simply go to Green Citizens Green Directory.
In the Search for bar, enter books. And, in the location, type in your address or zip code, and press search.
Youll get a ton of results in a matter of seconds. You can even choose how far from you the recycling center is. You can select the distance from 5 to 100 miles.
A professional book recycler is one of the best book recycling options because they can make paper from old books. They tear up the books into scraps of paper and then place them into large processors.
Then they add water and blend the paper until theres a smooth pulp. The pulp goes into mold and deckle and is placed in water. The deckle is placed screen-side over the mold and placed in water, then lifted up until the water is drained through the holes.
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The 3 Things You Should Probably Do With Your Old Textbooks
In General by Think Student EditorJanuary 29, 2022
After you have finished school, sixth form college and university, it is likely that you find yourself with textbooks that you no longer need. If this is the case then I recommend you read this article, in which I will explain what you should do with your old textbooks.
The three main paths that you can take are: selling textbooks that are in a good state, donating textbooks that are in a good to alright condition and recycling textbooks which are in a bad state.
If you choose to sell them, then there are certain ways and platforms which I will recommend you sell them from. Likewise, there are certain places and charities which could do with any book donations you can make. As for recycling textbooks, there are many different ways in which you can do so. You will find that typical recycling is not as simple a process as you may initially think, it is still very easy and is beneficial to the planet if done correctly.
If you have any old textbooks that you would like to rid yourself off, then read on as I explain the three things that you should probably do with them. Lets get into it!
Ian Lind Now Online Daily From Old Kahala
In one of the last stacks of boxes, on a storage rack high in the garage of my familys old house in Kahala, one of the ancient boxes contained a surprisea stack of my old high-school and college yearbooks. At least four years from Honolulus University High School, the Lab School, and then several years from Whitman College, where I managed to graduate. All dating to the decade of the 1960s. I have no recollection of packing the box, and the handwritten label on the side was done by my mother, so I have to assume that at one point she carefully rescued them from various things that I left at the house, and put them aside for me.
I can probably remember a couple of times over the years that I wanted to check one of the yearbooks in order to refresh my memory about an event, or a teacher, or a classmate. But honestly, thats been a very rare occurrence.
So now what? What do you do with old yearbooks? What do I do with my own yearbooks?
Judging from what appears to be a vibrant market in old yearbooks, obvious from the results of a quick online search, there are lots of people who dump them or lose them, and then want to replace them at some point.
On the other hand, its strange to look back over those decades into the faces of all the young people we werebefore the wars, the careers, the bosses good and bad, spouses and families, current and formerand wonder where the time, and seemingly endless opportunities, went.
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How Do I Make College Textbooks More Affordable
How to Find Cheap College Textbooks Buy E-Textbooks. Digital textbooks are becoming more common, and they can be a convenient, relatively affordable option for students. Borrow Textbooks From Friends or Classmates. Buy Textbooks for Cheap Online. Rent Textbooks. Take Advantage of the Campus Library.
What Should You Do If You Have Decided You Do Not Want To Keep Your Textbooks
If your textbooks are not for a course in your major , and you know you will not need them for another class or for future reference during your career, you can get rid of them. There are a few things you can do to get the textbooks off your hands. For example:
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Give it to a friend. Ask around to see if any of your friends will need the textbook you have. They will be delighted to not have to look for the textbook somewhere else!
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Donate it to a library. Libraries are always in need of books. Do your research to find out if you can donate your textbook. If you can, do it.
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Sell it back to your campus bookstore. Campus bookstores almost always have a textbook buy back program, where the bookstore will give you a small amount of money in exchange for your used textbook.
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Sell or donate it to a secondhand bookstore. Similarly, you can donate or sell it to a bookstore. You can even consider donating to online bookstores like TextSurf. They will ensure the book goes to someone who needs it.
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Why Should You Recycle Your Books
Some book lovers find it too painful to get rid of their old books. Or, theyre able to give them a new life by donating them, but not recycling. However, some books cant be donated.
Heres why you should recycle them.
I mentioned that 640,000 tons of books are sent to landfills each year.
An average paperback weighs 4 pounds. This amounts to 320 million books destroyed instead of recycled. This is alarming, seeing as US landfills have only about 18 years before they are full. Books are significantly contributing to the landfills reaching their capacity.
Because space in landfills is extremely limited, books occasionally get burned, which is extremely bad for the environment. Books release toxins and chemicals when they are burned, which can cause air and water pollution. Moreover, burning produces dioxin, which is a highly toxic material. It can seep into the earth and groundwater and affect wildlife and peoples health.
Not to forget, we make paper from trees. The more paper we use, the more trees are cut down, which has a huge impact on the environment.
On the other hand, the more paper we recycle, the fewer trees are cut down.
If youre still not convinced, consider these facts. It takes one tree to make 25 books.
However, one ton of recycled paper saves:
- 3 cubic yards of landfill space
- 380 gallons of oil
- 4,000 kilowatts of energy
- 7,000 gallons of water
Recycling Your Textbooks Yourself
Next up is turning your old textbooks into new items yourself! You could cut them up and make paper chains of varying shapes and lengths, or banners for a party. You could even use pages as wrapping paper for small gifts. Make simple name tags to tie onto gifts, or perhaps you might fold pages to create these adorable dresses . These could then be glued onto a card as a fun little project that will be perfect to send to a loved one!
For a larger, more creative project you may wish to take on the task of creating paper flowers . I recommend that you follow along to a tutorial to achieve the best results.
Another idea is taking your old textbooks and hollowing them to use as a hidden storage place! You could save sweets for those long study sessions, or even hide secrets that you want to stay, well, secret!
The final crafting option that I will leave you with is upcycling any old textbook into a custom journal. It doesnt matter if your textbooks are covered in scribbles or have torn pages because you get to cover that all up in order to create beautiful books filled with memories.
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Can You Recycle Paperback Books
Yes!
This process is usually more straightforward compared to hardcover books. Still, there are some steps you should take. Check that the paper isnt tan or brown and that pages arent splashed with liquid. If this is the case, throw the mixed paper in with household trash.
As for magazines, theres no need to remove anything from inside the magazine. For example, if there are staples or cardstock ads, you can leave them. However, if the magazine came in a plastic bag, you should remove it and recycle the bag separately.
Overall, each community is different, so for further information, check first if your local council has a book recycling program and what are the programs requirements. The more you get informed about the recycling program, the less chance of a book being sent to the landfill because it cant be recycled.
To help you understand book recycling better, heres what a recycling process for paperbacks looks like:
- Books and magazines are separate from office paper, cardboard, etc. They are considered mixed paper, as they can contain glue and plastic, especially on the cover and the spine.
- Once books get to the recycling center and are separated from other paper, they are mixed with chemicals and water to get a pulp.
- Ink and debris are removed from the pulp.
- The pulp is put on huge screens to dry.
- Once it’s dried, it becomes new, lower-quality paper.
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Things To Do With Your Notebooks And Papers At The End Of The School Year
It can be tempting after a long school year to toss your old papers and school books into the garbage, but what if there were better and more fulfilling ways to ditch your notes that could yield you time, money and brownie-points?
1. Save the important/still relevant stuffBefore disposing of anything, go through your binders for anything that could be helpful down the line like class notes from Spanish or Algebra.
2. Sell or donate your books and textbooksDont let old books collect dust sell them to someone who needs them! Used books can be sold online on Ebay or Amazon. You can even give them to your school to be used as classroom copies.
3. When in doubt, donate them Ask your teachers if your school accepts donations on behalf of certain charities or drop them off at the nearest Goodwill.
4. Gift your notes to younger siblings/friendsDon’t toss those study guides you spent *hours* crafting! Give them a second life my handing them down to your younger sibling/friend to help them ace the course. Be careful to remove any tests from your notebook to avoid any academic dishonesty.
5. Throw a “Notebook Bonfire”Now is the time to get together with your besties and celebrate the end of another school year, right? Kill two birds with one stone by having a Notebook Bonfire where you, well, burn all your unwanted notes and notebooks. Recruit an adult to supervise and watch your old tests, quizzes and notes disappear. Happy summer!
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Are There Any Better Options Than Simply Buying Textbooks
Every semester, its a cycle of buying books and either keeping them or getting rid of them. This cycle can be very expensive! If you would like to do something different, you should consider any of these options, as they are cheaper and will take the book off your hands once you are done with it.
Renting textbooks
Instead of buying a new or used textbook, and having to decide what to do with it at the end of the semester, you should consider renting textbooks. Renting a gently used textbook for the semester is dramatically cheaper than even buying a used textbook. Not only is it cheap, but once you are done with the book, you can simply bring it back. When you return the book, it will go to someone else who will use it, rather than collecting dust on your bookshelf. Its a win-win situation!
You can rent textbooks from your campus bookstore, or through online retailers like TextSurf. At the end of the semester, you simply ship the book back.
Rent or buy an e-book
Similarly, if you are a fan of electronic books , you should consider buying or renting an e-book. If you use a computer or tablet frequently, an e-book will be convenient for you, since you will not need to carry around a heavy textbook. Generally, e-books are cheaper than traditional books, even more so if you are renting rather than buying. E-books are also available for download immediately after you purchase them you do not need to wait two days for them to ship.
Check your campus library
Local Book Donation And Recycling Guide
- Where to donate books in New York?
If you want to donate books in NYC, you can do it directly to bookstores such as Freebird Books & Goods, Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, Unnameable Books, Westsider Rare & Used Books Inc., and many more. You can search the bookstores addresses and phone numbers in Google, call them, and ask for details. You can also offer your used books to public libraries in New York or try to resell them with the help of BookScouter if they are in good condition.
- Where can I make book donations in the Chicago area?
Bookstores such as Open Books , Uncharted Books, Book Driver, Bernies Book Bank, and many more accept books as donations in Chicago. Depending on your district, you can check book donation drop-off locations by Better World Books or give them away to Chicago Books for Women in Prison or The Newberry . Make sure to call the former in advance, as they dont accept drop-offs. With the latter, consider it as an option if you have valuable books that you feel generous to give away, as the library donations of items that will extend, strengthen, and complement the librarys collection.
- Where to donate books in Los Angeles?
- Where to recycle books in Los Angeles?
- Where to donate books in Minneapolis?
- Where to donate books in San Jose?
- Where to donate books in Houston?
- Where to donate books in New Jersey?
- Where to donate books in Boston?
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Pass Along Your Older Editions
Pass along your older editions to friends. Oftentimes, students are stuck with a textbook when a university decides to use a new edition the next year. Find a friend who needs to take the class, and sell it to the friend for a reasonable rate. You make a few bucks and the friend saves a few dollars buying an older edition textbook.
About the Author
Erica Green has been a freelance journalist since 2008. She has contributed to the Atlantic Publishing Company, Texas Sports, Confessions of a Homeowner and more. Green is currently pursuing a degree in Spanish, and she tutors English Language Learner students. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas and is a certified middle school teacher.
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Buy Used And Buy Paperback
The only reason to purchase a book now is if you think youll need it as a reference later on. If thats the case, buy used and look for paperback versions.
Human Anatomy & Physiology , another top seller, costs $195 brand new and $155 used. The same book and edition costs $87 in paperback. You shouldnt have to do the math to know thats a lot of savings.
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How To Check Selling Prices Before You Buy
Most of you may already know how to check completed listings on eBay however, if not, its pretty simple. There is an option on the left sidebar that says Completed Listing. Simply check this box, and then only the listings for the particular search topic you have entered that are completed will show.
Chances are that you are not going to find any real gems in the used book section. You probably wont find any books worth thousands and probably not even hundreds of dollars unless you are really lucky.
However, you can certainly find some books valued in the $10 to $20 range.
The problem with selling books this way, is that the margins are so low for the amount of time that it takes to find the books, creating the listing, respond to online customers, pack the books, and take them to the post office. I was probably making way less than minimum wage on my little bookselling business venture.
However, I think there really is some potential for someone who gets serious about it.
Are Science Classes More Expensive
Students enrolled in STEM-related courses pay on average about $45 more for books than those taking non-STEM classes, according to a Hatchet analysis. Course materials required for introductory science classes cost about 85 percent more than those for introductory liberal arts classes, a Hatchet analysis found.
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