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Can you recycle books?

Yes, you can!
Seperate waste stream required

How to recycle books at home

Books can not be recycled through your household recycling bin because of the adhesive used to stick pages together.

If your book is still in good condition, donate it to a person or charity of your choice. Follow The Waste Hierarchy for best practice.
There is a plethora of take-back schemes around London for you to donate your books through.
Books no longer in a usable condition can be donated to your local recycling centre.

How to recycle books at your business

All books beyond repair can be processed as Dry Mixed Recycling (DMR).

Place your books in designated areas separate from other waste.
Provide instructions and recycling training to staff if necessary.
Schedule a collection with Bywaters, your books will be taken to our solar-powered MRF for recycling.
Alternatively, if your books are still in good condition, our team of Sustainability Specialists will ensure they are donated to a suitable new home.

Do

Consider giving your books away to those who may need it
Go through our list to find charities and companies that will either repurpose or recycle your books

Do not

Throw your books into the general waste

The Dry Mixed Recycling Process

Your material is collected by our Euro 6 fleet

The waste is tipped into our solar-powered MRF

Each material is segregated at our specialised facility

Individual material streams are bulked and baled

Final bulked material is sent to be recycled

Facts about books

46% of the book publishing industry’s environmental impact comes from loss of biomass and wood harvest.
A typical paper back book has the same climate impact as watching 6 hours of TV, at around 1 kg of CO2 equivalent.
The book printing industry is thought to emit over 40 million tonnes of CO2 annually.

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