Burlington County has launched a new program to recycle unwanted books as part of its waste reduction efforts.
A book recycling bin has been added to the Burlington County Resource Complex in Florence. The bin allows residents to repurpose unwanted books rather than throw them in the trash, according to a county statement.
Hardback and paperback books in good condition will be accepted. All donated books will either be sold or recycled into new products by Phoenix-based recycler, BookDrop.
County residents can also bring unwanted books in good condition to the Burlington County Library’s Main Branch in Westampton.
“Bringing unwanted books to either our libraries or the Resource Recovery Complex is a great service that allows them to be sold or developed into new products,” Tom Pullion, a Burlington County commissioner, said. “It’s a simple step that prevents reusable materials from taking up space in our landfill.”
Textbooks will be accepted at the Resource Recovery Complex in Florence, but will not be accepted at the Burlington County Library. Neither site will accept books in poor condition.
The county also operates an e-waste drop-off in Florence for residents, which includes old televisions, computers, monitors, printers, cell phones and other small electronics.
“The more materials we can recycle, the less that ends up in the landfill,” Pullion said. “When our residents recycle, it helps the environment and saves towns on landfill disposal fees. Last year, more than 80 million pounds of recyclables were collected, saving Burlington County towns over $3.9 million in landfill tipping fees.”
The Resource Recovery Complex is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to noon.
Local officials praise Burlington as a leader in starting county-wide services and hope their book recycling will continue to lead the way.
Book recycling efforts are also active in Mercer and Ocean counties.
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Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com.