Becca Hurd / Special to The Gazette
Boy the weather is really starting to heat up now. I hope you all are taking some time to slow down so you don’t overheat and drink plenty of water, or maybe some drinks that help replace lost electrolytes (salts) that you have sweated out. Some people don’t mind the heat, especially if you are sitting by a pool or maybe in the shade of an umbrella with a beach breeze blowing in with a good book in hand. Whether you buy or borrow, when it comes to letting go of that book at the end of its useful life with you, let me invite you to think circularly. Reuse, repurpose and read more about our new recycle program before you toss your book in the trash.
Summer days are great for reading.There are so many ways to get reading material. The library has a summer reading program for kids and adults with fun incentives, sign up at any Gaston branch. Libraries are such unique institutions and constantly updating their inventory. But sometimes there isn’t the title you may be looking for, but before you go online, consider shopping at a local bookseller in our community. It would be great fun before your next trip to peruse a local shop and perhaps make it a treat with buying a coffee drink or snack to go along with your new book. Other places to look for great reads include thrift shops and yard sales, and the Friends of the Library always has a great book sale in the spring.
If you have books belonging to you that you no longer want, there are a number of ways to ensure your book makes it to another reader. Clean the book and check to see that the pages are good (no one wants a sticky book or one that has been colored on, and consider what highlights or margin markings you may have made in it). Check that there are no rips, tears, water damage, mold, etc. (If the book is moldy it should go in the trash.)Next, how old or dated is the material?If it is your college textbook, I can almost guarantee that they changed the edition probably within a year of printing. Before you give it away, and if you have the time and space, there may be value in trying to sell the book online. Thriftbooks, Ebay and Amazon are great online options, especially if you have rare editions, books that are out of print, brand new that you never or barely used and have the space to store them while you wait for a buyer. Yard sales are also great times to sell books cheaply.
If you can’t or don’t want to sell it, it’s time to donate.Do you have a friend or neighbor that would enjoy the book? Neighbors with young kids for your children’s books they have outgrown?Is it appropriate to leave them in a little free library? (These are the small house-shaped swapping boxes usually mounted near parks or schools and are a great way to share books in a community).Of course you can donate to the thrift shops, church rummage sales, and the Main Branch of the Gaston County Library will accept your donations as well.
But what if the book is outdated, colored on, torn, stained or rippled from water damage? Do you trash it? No! Our newest recycling program can help. Hardin Recycle/ Convenience Site, which is adjacent to the landfill in Dallas, will now accept hardback and paperback books to be recycled. Do they have to be damaged or outdated to recycle? No, that choice is yours. Never before could we recycle hardback books and now, we can put hardback and paperback together.Mixed paper bins will continue to accept magazines, crossword puzzle books, smaller paperback books, but never a hardcover book. I am so excited about this new offer to our residents. Now we can save this valuable paper resource to be shredded and reused as packaging material for a company in Charlotte. The first load of library discards Carefully selected by Friends of the Library volunteers, over 800 pounds of books are now in recycling instead of landfill.
In the steps we are trying to take towards a circular economy, “refuse” and “rethink” come first.Can you borrow a book and return it to a library so that you will never have to make any of the choices above? If you like using technology, can you listen to your book or read it on a tablet? Once you have brought a book into your home, “reuse” and “repurpose” come before “recycle.”If the book is dated, maybe the pictures are vintage and would make a cool craft or art project, check with schools or local artisans that may make greeting cards or collages.Now instead of the last stop being the landfill, books can go on to be remade into something new.Thanks for helping to close the loop where “recycle” is the end of one thing and the beginning of the next.
As always, thanks for reading and enjoy those summer books. As always, reach out for questions, comments or concerns at solidwaste@gastongov.com or call the Recycle Hotline 704-922-7729.
Becca Hurd is the recycling coordinator for Gaston County.
