Maybe you're a book lover that has discovered she has too large of a collection, or maybe you were left with a bunch of old books you don't want. Either way, you have decided that you need to pare down the amount of literature and magazines that are taking up space in your home. One option is to just throw the books in the trash, but that's not environmentally sound and can be a heartbreaking thought for many book lovers. But you can find new uses for your books, and even recycle them.
Trade or Donate Books
There are a good number of websites that people can use to trade their unwanted books for books they do want. ReadItSwapIt and Paper Back Swap allow users to trade specific titles with each other. A similar website, Bookmooch, also lets you trade, but on this website you get points for your books. You list the books you want to get rid of, and users request them. Every time you send out a book you get a point, and that point can be used to request a book from another user.
Those methods don't really take down your literature pile, however. In that case, you can donate your books to a number of places, including your local library and charity and thrift stores. Some places, like the Used Book Superstore, will give you a tax receipt when you donate your books that you can claim when you file your taxes.
There are also organizations like Got Books? and Operation Paperback that send books to soldiers that are stationed overseas, and Books Beyond Borders that brings books and other educational materials to developing countries.
Selling Books, Online and In Store
Some people may be looking to make some money off of their book stack. You can sell your books to a local used book store, sometimes for cash and sometimes for store credit. There are also places to sell used books online, like eBay, Amazon.com, and websites specifically dedicated to users selling their old books like Alibris.com.
Recycling Your Books
A lot of book lovers don't like the idea of destroying the pieces of literature that they loved, but sometimes there's no other choice. Books can be ripped or water stained, or there might just be no one else willing to take your novels, textbooks and old magazines. But the books still don't have to go in the trash--they can be recycled. If it hurts too much knowing that your books are going to be destroyed, remember that they will be used to make paper for new books, continuing to bring the joy of reading to someone else.
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