Burlington County residents have a new location to bring unwanted books.
A book recycling bin has been added to the Burlington County Resource Complex at 22000 Burlington-Columbus Road in Florence, so residents can repurpose unwanted books rather than dispose of them in household trash. So far, nearly 900 pounds of books have already been collected at the site this year.
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.
Burlington County residents can also bring unwanted books in good condition to the Burlington County Library System’s Main Branch Library in Westampton to donate to the Friends of the Burlington County Library System for resale during the group’s book sales. Select branch libraries may also accept book donations, but residents are advised to call before they visit branch libraries with their donated items.
“Burlington County was one of the first counties in New Jersey to create a regional recycling program, and we were the first in the state to create a county library system,” said Burlington County Commissioner Tom Pullion, liaison to both the Department of Solid Waste and Recycling and the Burlington County Library System. “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. It’s a simple step that prevents reuseable materials from taking up space in our landfill.”
Textbooks will be accepted at the Resource Recovery Complex but will not be accepted by the Friends of the Burlington County Library. Neither site will accept books in poor condition. Magazines and dirty, damp or moldy books should not be brought to either the libraries or Resource Recovery Complex.
Books should NOT be discarded in curbside recycling containers because they cannot be processed by the County’s recycling equipment.
The Resource Recovery Complex is open weekdays from 7 AM to 5 PM and on Saturdays from 7 AM to noon.
In addition to recycling books, Burlington County operates an e-waste drop off at the Resource Recovery Complex for county residents. E-waste includes old televisions, computers, monitors, printers, cell phones, holiday lights and other small electronic devices.
“The more materials we can recycle, the less that ends up in the landfill. When our residents recycle, it helps the environment and saves towns on landfill disposal fees,” Pullion noted. “Last year, more than 80 million pounds of recyclables were collected, saving Burlington County towns over $3.9 million in landfill tipping fees.”
More information about recycling is available on the County’s free Recycle Coach app. The app can be downloaded from the Apple or GooglePlay app stores and has information about what materials are accepted in curbside recycling containers, plus updates and alerts about collection schedules for each town.
Specific questions about recycling can also be directed to the Burlington County Recycling Coordinator at 609-499-1001 or by emailing recycle@co.burlington.nj.us .