You're standing in your garage, looking at a stack of books that need to go. You're tired of them taking up space. The easiest solution is to toss them in the trash or recycling bin.
But wait. Before you do that, understand what you're actually doing: you're sending paper, binding, ink, and the knowledge they contain into a landfill, where they'll sit for decades, if not centuries.
That might sound dramatic. But it's the truth. And it matters more than you might think.
Last verified May 2026 · Original research by Josh Eldred
The Environmental Cost of Throwing Away Books
Books Don't Decompose Like You Think They Do
Most people assume that since books are made of paper, they'll break down quickly in a landfill. They won't. Books are tightly bound, densely packed, and often printed on paper that's treated with chemicals to make it more durable.
In a landfill, where conditions are anaerobic (lacking oxygen), paper decomposes extremely slowly—I'm talking decades or even centuries. Meanwhile, they take up valuable landfill space and contribute to methane emissions as they eventually break down.
Manufacturing Cost Is Already Paid
Every book that ends up in a landfill represents the environmental cost that's already been paid. The paper came from trees. The binding required adhesives and materials. The transportation used fuel. The printing used energy and water.
All of that environmental investment is wasted the moment you throw the book away.
But if you donate that same book, all of that previous environmental investment gets to do its job: be read, be valued, be used. It's not waste—it's continuation.
The Carbon Footprint of Waste
Transporting books to landfills uses fuel. Burying them in landfills requires machinery and ongoing maintenance. As they decompose (very slowly), they release methane, a greenhouse gas significantly more potent than carbon dioxide.
The entire lifecycle of throwing away a book has a measurable environmental cost.
Books Have a Longer Useful Lifespan Than Almost Anything
Here's what's remarkable about books: they can be read hundreds of times, by dozens of different people, over decades or even centuries, and still work. A book from the 1970s is still perfectly readable today. A children's book passed through five generations of a family still functions beautifully.
Most consumer goods have a lifespan of years. Clothes wear out. Electronics become obsolete. Appliances break down. But books? Books essentially last forever if they're treated reasonably well.
That's an incredible environmental advantage. One book can deliver value and joy to hundreds of people over a century. Why would you throw that away?
What Actually Happens When Books End Up in Landfills
A study by the Council for Responsible Waste Management found that approximately 600 million pounds of books end up in U.S. landfills every year. That's an astonishing number.
Most of those books are perfectly readable. They're not damaged. They're not worthless. They're just books that someone decided were no longer wanted.
And instead of finding a second reader, a second home, a second life, they're buried.
Why Recycling Books Isn't the Answer
Some people think, "Well, I'll just recycle my books instead of throwing them away."
Here's the problem: recycling a book is actually worse for the environment than donating it. Here's why:
- Recycling requires energy: Breaking down a book, processing the paper, and creating new paper products all require significant energy and water
- You're destroying value: A book that could be read again is being turned into new paper products, many of which will be single-use or eventually discarded
- The carbon footprint is higher: The energy required for recycling often outweighs the environmental benefit compared to simply reusing the original book
Donating a book—having it read again by a new person—is infinitely better for the environment than recycling it.
The Social Cost of Throwing Away Books
Beyond the environmental impact, there's also a social cost to throwing away books.
For every book you throw away, there's likely someone in your community who would love to read it. Someone without the money to buy it. A child whose home has no books. A student who needs that textbook to study.
Books are knowledge. They're entertainment. They're escape. They're education. They're joy.
When you throw away a book that's still readable, you're not just wasting paper and environmental resources. You're denying someone the opportunity to experience what that book contains.
The Simple Alternative: Donate Instead
Here's the good news: there's an incredibly easy solution. Instead of throwing away your books, donate them.
Donating accomplishes everything:
- Environmentally responsible: The book's lifespan extends. No landfill waste. No unnecessary recycling energy.
- Socially beneficial: Your book goes to someone who will read it and value it
- Community impact: Donations support organizations and institutions that serve your community
- Incredibly easy: Drop-off locations are available, and many organizations will even pick up large quantities
Where to Donate Your Books in Albuquerque
The New Mexico Literacy Project accepts book donations 24/7. No questions asked. Any condition. Any quantity.
Location: 5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A, Albuquerque, NM 87107
Hours: 24/7
Call/Text: 702-496-4214
Simply drive up and drop off your books. That's it. Your books will be handled responsibly—resold, keeping books in circulation. I also donate children's books free to UNM Children's Hospital, care facilities for adults with developmental disabilities, school libraries in rural counties across NM, and APS Title I classroom libraries.
Other donation options include:
- Albuquerque Public Library (call your local branch)
- Local schools and classrooms
- Buy Nothing Albuquerque Facebook group
- Daycare centers and preschools
The Carbon Footprint of Donation vs. Disposal
If I think about this in terms of pure environmental impact:
Throwing away a book:
- Landfill transportation: CO2 emissions
- Landfill processing and storage: Ongoing emissions
- Methane production as decomposition begins: Greenhouse gas (25-28x more potent than CO2)
- Total environmental cost: High
Donating a book:
- One trip to a drop-off location: Minimal CO2 emissions (can be combined with other errands)
- Organization handles processing: Negligible emissions compared to new book manufacturing
- Book gets read again: Extends its useful lifespan and maximizes its environmental ROI
- Total environmental cost: Minimal
From a pure environmental perspective, donation is vastly superior to disposal.
The Bigger Picture: Sustainable Consumption
Throwing away books is part of a larger pattern of unsustainable consumption. I buy things, use them briefly, and discard them. I replace them with new things. The cycle continues.
But books are different. They're designed to be read multiple times, by multiple people, over extended periods. Their business model is already sustainable—I just have to participate in that sustainability.
Every time you donate a book instead of throwing it away, you're:
- Reducing landfill waste
- Preventing unnecessary resource extraction (no new books need to be printed to replace the ones you're donating)
- Supporting circular economy principles
- Making your own consumption more sustainable
A Simple Pledge
The next time you're standing over a trash can with a book in your hand, pause. Think about the environmental cost. Think about someone in your community who might read it. Think about extending that book's life.
Then drive it to the New Mexico Literacy Project instead. It takes five extra minutes. It costs nothing. And it genuinely makes a difference.
Your books don't have to be waste. They can be treasured. They can be read. They can change lives. They can stay out of landfills.
That's the power of donation.
Ready to donate instead of discard? Bring your books to the New Mexico Literacy Project, 24/7, at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A. Learn more about donations.