About Recycled Reads
Recycled Reads is run primarily by volunteers with materials withdrawn from the Library’s collection and the community’s donations. The store gives books a second chance and is an active participant in the City’s Zero Waste Plan by ensuring obsolete materials are handled in an environmentally responsible way by keeping these materials out of landfills. Items Recycled Reads is unable to sell go to third party recyclers that fund and support literacy programs. In this way the Library contributes to a socially responsible cause by ensuring that knowledge and learning is passed along to others in need. Books that are unusable as reading material are responsibly recycled for reuse.
Recycled Reads in the News
“Resale shop offers books for a bargain”. News8Austin, 8/31/09
How Green is Recycled Reads?
With the assistance of our recycling partners (Goodwill Industries and Better World Books), we are able to track the actual tonnage Recycled Reads processes. Each month Recycled Reads handles 10-12 tons of obsolete Library material and books and materials donated from the public. According to the Environmental Defense Fund Paper calculator (http://www.papercalculator.org) 1 ton of books would take up 3.3 cubic yards of space in a landfill. Based on our monthly statistics, Recycled Reads kept approximately 435 cubic yards of material out of COA landfills during FY 2011.
This is the equivalent to annual emission reduction of: Of 73 cars, 41,700 gallons (5 tanker trucks) of gasoline, 865 barrels of oil, 15, 500 propane cylinders, electricity use of 46 homes.
You can be green just by shopping at Recycled Reads.
Looking for the perfect gift?
We also sell gift certificates starting at $5 and going up to $50. With most hard cover books $2, soft cover books $1 and children's books fifty-cents, a gift certificate to Recycled Reads goes a long way. It can be applied to any of our store items, including collectibles, jewelry and book art, and it never expires.
Book Art!
Call it origami, call it sculpture, call it altered books... We call it recycling! As part of our zero-waste initiative, books that are outdated, in poor shape, or just won't sell get crafted into something useful, fun, or beautiful! Stop by the store for a peek of our creations. If you are interested in making your own book art, come by, call or email us for information on our crafting classes.
Saturday book art and craft workshops
All workshops are held 1:00-3:00 p.m.:
January 28
March 10, 24
April 14, 28
May 12, 26
June 9, 23
July 14, 28
August 11, 25
September 8, 22
October 13, 27
November 10, 24
December 8
Volunteers and Donations
To volunteer for the bookstore or for more information call
(512) 974-7443.
Donations are accepted during open hours and by appointment
(512) 323-5123.
