Is Reselling Used Books Better Than Recycling Them?

Is reselling your books better than recycling? It’s an interesting question and one that we are going to answer for you. Let’s take a deep dive into the nitty gritty details of whether it is better to resell all your unwanted books or simply take them to the recycling centre to get them broken down and repurposed.

So, keep reading to find out the pros and cons of both reselling and recycling your unwanted books.

Resell Books - Unleash Your Inner Entrepreneur

If you find yourself getting overwhelmed by a mountain of books that you no longer need or want, reselling them might be your golden ticket to decluttering your space and making a few extra quid on the way.

It might not seem like it, but reselling books can be surprisingly profitable. Thanks to the internet, you aren’t just limited to taking your unwanted books down to the local car-boot every other Saturday, now you have options: Firstly, you can sell your books online with marketplaces like eBay and Amazon; and your final option is using specialist book-selling platforms like WeBuyBooks.

A downside to reselling however, is that you might not be able to sell all your unwanted books. Due to general wear and tear over time or just a lack of desire for the book, some reads might not be sellable.

Recycle Books – Repurpose Your Books

Now, before you jump on the reselling bandwagon, let's have a look at recycling. Selling used books is great, but occasionally, some books are so worn-out they just can't be sold. This is where recycling comes in, it’s a great solution for decluttering the books that you might not be able to sell.

Sustainably recycling a book, usually means it has come to the end of its life, well, as a functioning book anyway. You can rest assured that the recycling bin doesn’t mean the end for your pre-loved pages. After you have taken your unwanted books to a recycling centre that can recycle books, they will be taken to a mill where they are broken down into their raw materials. From the Mills, the materials will be sent off to be made into other products like carboard and toilet roll.

Pros of Reselling and Recycling Books

Let's take a closer look at the benefits of both reselling and recycling your used books:

1. Environmental Impact:

Reselling Books: By selling your used books to a new owner you are extending the book’s lifespan and reducing the demand for printing companies to produce more harmful emissions as they continue to create new reading material.

Recycling Books: Reduces the need to use fresh raw materials to create new products and prevents your old books from causing pollution in landfill.

2. Financial Gains:

Reselling Books: It’s easy, selling your old books will earn you money. It might not make you a millionaire but it’s a nice bonus.

Recycling Books: While you aren’t really going to be making much money from recycling your books, it does have pay-outs for the environment.

Why Not Both?

Both reselling and recycling your books are great options, so why not have the best of both worlds? Start with selling all the books you can, using the WeBuyBooks app. Then, with the books that you can’t sell, take them to your local recycling centre. This way, you are ensuring that you get the most out of your unwanted books by repurposing them so that none of them are going to waste.

Donate

Before we close this chapter it’s worth mentioning that reselling and recycling aren’t the only options for your unwanted books. Schools, libraries, and charities are often on the lookout for new reading material. Donating your books to these organisations is a great way to support your local community and sustainably declutter your books at the same time.

Closing Pages

So, all you book lovers out there looking for the best solution to decluttering your book collection, the choice is yours, sell your books to earn a little extra cash, recycle your reads and ensure they avoid landfill or give them back to your community by donating them. Whatever you choose you can rest assured your books will always have a little bit of life left just waiting to be released.