Look ahead to the end of your semester and picture the stellar grades you’ve earned, along with a spot on the Dean’s list. Do you know what else you should be envisioning? A pile of textbooks you don’t need anymore.

You know what you’re going to do with your education, but what should you do with your old textbooks?

You know what you’re going to do with your education, but what should you do with your old textbooks? It’s up to you to decide whether you’re going to sell, donate, or recycle those old tomes.

Sell, Donate, or Recycle

Even in our increasingly digital world, you’re going to take classes that require purchasing a physical book. There will probably be a few you hang on to for reference in the years to come, but the majority of them deserve to find a new life with another student. It’s up to you to decide whether you’re going to sell, donate, or recycle those old tomes.

Selling Books

Some university bookstores offer a textbook “Buy Back” program. This not only helps you make room on your shelf for next year’s books, but it gives you a few bucks as well. If you want to try selling your textbooks when the semester is over, check out some of your options.

Amazon
BookByte
BookDeal
Cash4Books
eBay

If you want to sell your books through a program or to an individual via a private listing, there is some lingo to know when you create your posting.

Like New

This is a book that is used but is pretty much in the same condition as when it was originally printed and sold by the publisher. This may mean you never cracked it open during your semester, or you just took extremely good care of it.

Very Good

This book rating may indicate the book shows minor signs of wear, but there are no tears or markings on the pages, binding, or cover. You probably took all your notes on looseleaf paper rather than in the margins of your book, making it an ideal choice for the next student.

Good

Your “Good” book contains all its pagers, but maybe it has more obvious signs of wear such as dog-eared pages. Perhaps there are even a few notes inside the book or highlighting marks to show other students what piqued your interest during your studies.

Fair

This indicates the book is well-worn but isn’t missing any pages. It probably has issues such as writing in the margins, obvious damage to a dust jacket (or it’s missing altogether), or loose binding.

Poor

A “Poor” rating means this book has seen a bit of it all. From your bag to your desk to the backseat of your car, it’s got stains, scruffs, rips, and tears to prove it’s been well-loved. The dust-jacket may be missing or torn, the binding may be loose, or pages might be missing.

Depending on where you list your book for selling it, you’ll have different guidelines to help you determine how to rate your used book. Look into how you’ll get paid with the different options, such as if you have to hit a certain payout amount, if the platform takes a commission of the sale, or if you can take cash vs automatic deposits.

Another tip when selling back or returning a book textbook– be sure you have proof of purchase, and that you’re within the designated timeline for getting a refund.

Donating Books

If the payout of selling your old textbooks isn’t worth the hassle to you, you should look into donating your books to another student or to an organization. Use social media to find upcycle or free/trade groups and post what textbooks you have to offer. While you’re at it, see if someone has an edition of a book you need for your upcoming classes.

Facebook
Student2Student
University message boards

Other ways to donate your books include contacting your local library or a charity organization such as The Salvation Army or Goodwill. While an organization may not put the book on its shelf for regular patrons, they may sell them to buyback programs in order to get funds for their operations or programs. Either way, you’re giving your books a new chance at life, and helping support your community.

Little Free Library

Have you heard of Little Free Library? It’s an organization that encourages the sharing of books via community boxes stocked with free books. There’s a database that lists all registered Little Free Libraries so you can find one near you where you can tuck a textbook or two inside. Keep in mind that these are meant to offer enrichment to a variety of readers, so perhaps limit your donation to books with general studies topics.

Recycling Books

Did you know you can’t recycle hardcover books as a whole? Since the covers are often coated with plastic, cloth, or even leather, they aren’t accepted for typical paper recycling programs.

If you’re intent on making sure your old textbook doesn’t end up in a landfill, you can go to the trouble of removing all the paper from the binding and cover and recycling it loose-leaf. You’ll need to ensure each page is free from the binding glue and any staples so it is accepted for recycling.

If you’re not interested in removing hundreds of pieces of paper from hardcover textbooks, then recycling them probably isn’t for you. Before tossing the hardcover book in the trash bin though, keep in mind that for every ton of paper that is recycled, Earth911.com reports we save the following:

3 cubic yards of space in landfills
17 trees
380 gallons of oil
4,000 kilowatts of energy
7,000 gallons of water

Recyclable Paper Materials

Copy paper
Newspaper
Junk mail
Envelopes
Magazines
Cardboard
Paper bags

As a result of recycling efforts, more than 60% of consumer products can contain recycled materials. While recycled copy or book paper isn’t usually made into a new piece of paper for another book, it can find new life as tissue, while newspaper can become more newsprint or construction paper (colorful, thick paper often used for crafts).

As you can see, it’s worth it to find a way to pass your hardcover book along to another student rather than sending it to an overflowing landfill.