Despite being made of recyclable materials, books are kind of hard to recycle!

Good Condition

Books in good condition can be donated to the Friends of the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library for their book sale. They can also be donated to other thrift stores. Only donate books that someone else might actually want to read (i.e., not your 1976 encyclopedia set or 20-year-old college textbook). Donating items that cannot be resold just puts the burden of disposal on the organization you're donating to.

Poor Condition

Books in poor condition can be recycled by removing the cover, then using a knife to cut off the binding and glue. Throw this away (unless you want to try to compost it) and recycle the paper in your curbside bin or at Full Circle Sustainability as part of the "standard recycling" program. While you can recycle the cover of paperback books, you will still need to cut off the spine/glue.