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The City of Penticton is offering more options for residents to recycle old books.
Currently, Recycle BC does not accept hardcover or paperback books, such as novels, text books and other reference material.
Books should not be tossed in recycling or garbage bins, which can be a bit of hassle for residents.
If your books are gently used, they may be donated to Penticton Public Library, charities and community organizations, or added to a ‘Little Library,’ with a list of those throughout the community available at penticton.ca/books.
However, if your books are heavily damaged or outdated, they can now be added to the “Planet Earth” recycling bins located at the Penticton Library – just be sure you don’t accidentally place your library books in the new bin!
The pilot program will see books accepted until late April.
“Previously, books could only be recycled at specialized bins located at Campbell Mountain Landfill, so we realized a need to provide a more convenient location in the city for residents to dispose of books that cannot be donated or resold,” says Madison Poultney, sustainability coordinator.
Books with torn or missing pages, outdated textbooks, out-of-date guides, encyclopedias and informational books that are older than five years can be brought to the new recycling bins.
“Unfortunately, a recent audit by Recycle BC discovered that books continue to be found in local recycling cart,” says Poultney
Penticton’s current recycling contamination rate is sitting at 13.3% and the city is trying to get it down to 10% or lower by November.
If the city and residents cannot get the contamination levels down, it may result in increased costs due to fees from Recycle BC.
For more information about recycling books, visit penticton.ca/books.