Tips on Recycling Old Books

Posted on 23/06/2020

Best Ways to Recycle Your Old Books

If you are a book lover then having to get rid of books can feel like abandoning an old friend. The trouble is that books tend to take up quite a lot of space, especially if you are an avid reader who buys books by the dozen. So what to do with your books once you're read them? Most of us will simply add them to our collection, building up a huge library of literature that we will typically never look at again. This option often leads to a desperate junk clearance when we finally run out of room, and the calling in of a rubbish removal company to dispose of them for us. Another common option is of course to hand them in to charity shops for others to enjoy. But for any true book lover, there will always be some books that while we might not read again, we just can't part with, so why not put them to good use in a more creative way.

Book Christmas trees

This is an increasingly popular way to use old books and there are growing numbers of people opting for this way of avoiding the waste clearance service for their reading material. It takes some time to set up, and a lot of organisation, but once you've managed to stack your books in a pleasing and secure way, you're left with a stunning display that makes the most of your loved items, and is functional at the same time. And it doesn't just have to be a seasonal thing, use it all year round as an unusual lamp or conversation piece in your home and forget the waste removal idea.


Turn them into decorations

Rather than opting for the rubbish removal route, these days more and more people are finding inventive ways to incorporate their favourite stories into the décor of their home. This has taken the form of paper decorations created out of the pages within loved books, or even creating shelving out of the sturdier volumes. Finding the best way to make book decorations is simply a case of searching online, and before you know it your whole house will be adorned with unique, memorable and beautiful decorations.


Use them as storage

If you've unearthed a stack of old books during a house clearance session and don't fancy giving them away to charity, then why not put them to good use. There are countless examples of people creating pencil holders from old books by creating holes in them. Other options include removing the pages within a book and using it as a keepsake box; done by simply adding some wood to create stability. All without having to worry about how to deal with the waste disposal of your loved books.


Make some artwork

This a particularly good option if you have a lot of children's picture books that you don't want to part with, and can't bear to see whisked away by the rubbish removal service. Instead, take your favourite pictures and turn them into something you can enjoy every day, it could be anything from coasters or table mats, to artwork for the wall, a topping for a glass table, or anything else you can think of.

Create your own furniture

When you don't want to give up your books to a rubbish collection, then turning it into furniture is a great way to avoid it. Turn them into coffee tables, seats and much more with some ingenious ideas available from the internet. That way you get to enjoy the happy memories they inspire on a regular basis, and don't need to worry about finding them during a junk clearance in the future.