Books have a way of taking up space quietly. First one shelf, then another, later a box under the desk, a pile on the windowsill, and a shelf it is better not to touch any more. Some of them stay with us for years. Others we will never go back to. There are also those that once mattered, but today only gather dust.
And then the question comes up: what to do with unwanted books so they don’t accidentally end up in the rubbish?
Throwing books into mixed waste should not be your first choice—it is worth treating it as a last resort, for when a book is no longer fit to give away, sell, or recycle. Even if a given publication has no value to us, for someone else it may be an interesting find, a study aid, a gift, a source of knowledge, or simply a pleasant weekend read. In this text we will show you how to approach tidying your shelves sensibly: where to give books away, when it is worth selling them, and when it is better to send them for recycling.
First, sort them—but without the sentimental trap
Before we start looking for a place for the books, we have to sort them. Not by “pretty” and “ugly”, but by what can actually be done with them. The simplest way is to make four piles.
First: the books that stay. These are the ones we come back to, the ones that mean something to us, or that we simply want to keep within reach.
Second: books to give away. In good condition, complete, with no water-stained pages, no mould, no strong basement smell. The kind someone can still read without feeling they have been handed a problem instead of a gift.
Third: books to sell. This is where sought-after, newer, and specialist titles go, along with art books, popular fiction, textbooks in current editions, comics, series, and collector’s books.
Fourth: damaged copies. Falling apart, damp, incomplete, scribbled in so heavily that they can’t be read normally. These should not go to a library or to a swap point. For them the right course is proper sorting: book recycling covers clean, dry paper elements, while damp, mouldy, or heavily soiled copies should be dealt with in line with local waste management rules.
Sorting like this puts the situation in order straight away. Instead of looking at one huge pile and thinking “I don’t know what to do with this”, we have a few simple paths.
Used books can get a second life
Used books are not worse than new ones. They often have even more charm: a dedication on the first page, slightly worn corners, a ticket from years ago found between the pages. As long as they are still fit to read, of course.
The biggest mistake when getting rid of books is treating them as one uniform mass. Yet we will approach a novel from five years ago differently from a 1990s encyclopedia, differently again from an academic textbook, and differently still from a well-thumbed how-to guide that is now out of date.
That is why, before giving away or selling, it is worth checking whether a book has a potential recipient. Literary fiction, reportage, crime novels, fantasy, children’s books, art books, comics, and newer guides usually find a new home more easily. It tends to be harder with very old textbooks, outdated instruction manuals, out-of-date legal guides, or heavily worn school editions.
That doesn’t mean they are worthless. It only means you have to choose the right path for them.
What to do with old books you don’t want to keep?
What to do with old books if they no longer fit your home library? First we check their condition and subject. An old book doesn’t always mean a valuable one. That matters, because plenty of myths have grown up around home tidying. Not every edition with yellowed pages is a rare gem. Not every series from decades past will interest a second-hand bookshop. Not every encyclopedia still has practical value today.
If the books are well cared for, you can give them away, sell them, swap them, or leave them at a swap point. If they are damaged, damp, or incomplete, it is better not to pass the problem on to a library, a charity, or your friends.
It is also a good idea to look through old books for notes, photos, documents, and bookmarks. Letters, postcards, receipts, pressed leaves, old tickets, and sometimes private notes often stay in books. Before handing someone a whole box, it is worth quickly leafing through the copies.
It is a small thing, but it saves later surprises.
Where can you donate old books?
Where can you donate old books if they are in good condition? There are more options than it might seem. The most obvious, but not the only one, is a library. Books can be given to schools, community centres, after-school clubs, senior homes, charities, local swap points, cafes with a bookcrossing shelf, and sometimes also to hospitals, hospices, or care homes.
It is worth keeping one rule in mind, though: we don’t drop books off blind. First we get in touch with the place and ask whether it accepts such titles. This is especially important with larger quantities. A box of books may mean tidiness in our flat, but for a library or institution it can be extra work if half the contents are unsuitable for the collection.
It is best to describe briefly what you have: contemporary fiction, crime novels, children’s books, art books, textbooks, guides, the number of boxes, the rough condition. Then the other side can quickly judge whether the books will be useful.
Local neighbourhood groups are a good lead too. Sometimes one photo and a note saying “free to collect” is enough for the books to be gone the same day. Themed bundles work especially well: crime novels, books for children aged 7–10, romance, fantasy, school set texts, cookbooks.
Donating books to a library—when does it make sense?
Donating books to a library sounds like the simplest solution. And often it is, but only if we do it sensibly.
Libraries are not warehouses for everything that seems too good to throw away. They have limited space, a defined collection policy, and readers looking for specific titles. That is why not every book will be added to the catalogue. Some may go to a library book sale, a swap shelf, or be turned down.
The best chances go to books in good condition, newer editions, popular fiction, children’s and young-adult books, reportage, biographies, comics, and titles readers are asking for. Smaller chances go to old encyclopedias, outdated textbooks, damaged novels with missing pages, and specialist publications from decades ago.
There is nothing personal in it. A library has to think about whether a given book will be borrowed, or just take up shelf space.
That is why, before visiting, it is best to call or send a message. You can prepare a list of titles or a photo of the spines. It is quick, and it saves carrying boxes both ways.
Selling—when it is worth thinking about buyback
Some unwanted books can still bring in money. Not always a lot, sometimes only a token amount, but with a larger number of copies it adds up to a sensible sum.
Used book buyback works well when time matters and you don’t want to list every book separately. You send a list, photos, or scan the ISBN codes, and the buyer prices the titles. The most interest usually goes to newer editions, popular fiction, academic and specialist books, comics, art books, foreign-language books, and series. Examples of services offering used book buyback include pan-European platforms such as momox and Ziffit.
You do have to reckon with the fact that a buyback service won’t take everything. It works much like a second-hand bookshop: it picks what it has a chance of selling on. Damaged, water-stained, incomplete, or very outdated copies are usually rejected.
An alternative is selling on your own. You can list books on online classifieds (for example eBay), in themed groups, or on resale platforms such as Vinted. This takes more time: photos, descriptions, contact with buyers, packing, postage. In return, you can get a better price for the more interesting titles.
A simple rule works best: sell valuable and sought-after books individually, and popular or less valuable ones in bundles. Instead of listing ten volumes separately, make a set, for example “10 crime novels”, “a children’s book bundle”, or “secondary-school set texts”.
Swapping books: a good way to tidy up without giving up reading
It is not always about selling. Sometimes we simply want to make room for something new. That is when swapping works brilliantly.
Many towns have bookcrossing shelves, shelves in cafes, neighbourhood little libraries (such as Little Free Library boxes), points in community centres, or book-swap events. The principle is simple: you leave a book and take another, or simply add something of your own.
It is a good solution for publications in decent condition but without much resale value. Novels, how-to guides, young-adult fiction, travel books, reportage—such titles often disappear quickly from swap shelves.
Just don’t treat such places like a waste-paper container. A book left at a swap point should encourage reading. If you would be embarrassed to hand it to a friend, it probably shouldn’t go there.
Books for schools, after-school clubs, and organisations
Children’s and young-adult books are worth directing to where they can actually be useful: schools, after-school clubs, children’s homes, school libraries, toddler clubs, local charities.
Here too we don’t act blindly. First we ask what the particular place needs. Sometimes it is looking for set texts, sometimes fairy tales for younger children, sometimes popular-science books, and sometimes it takes nothing, because its storage space is full.
The best chance of being accepted goes to books that are clean, complete, free of scribbles, and with up-to-date content. A children’s book with a torn spine may still be charming at home, but in an after-school club, where it passes through a dozen pairs of hands, it will fall apart quickly.
Good book donation means we are helping, not adding someone else’s sorting work.
And what if the books are damaged?
There are situations where a book is no longer fit to read. Water-stained pages, mould, a strong smell of damp, missing pages, a block that has come unglued, a ruined cover, illegible print—then there is no point looking for a new owner for it.
Then book recycling is what remains.
Clean, dry books can usually go into the paper recycling bin, as long as they don’t contain elements that can’t easily be separated, such as plastic, metal, or laminated covers. It is worth removing the parts that aren’t paper: plastic dust jackets, plastic covers, CDs, metal spirals, synthetic bookmarks, elastic bands, inserts. With hardcover books it can be trickier, because the cover may contain board, glues, bookbinding cloth, foil, or other layers. If in doubt, it is best to check the sorting rules in your local council area or head to a local recycling centre (a household waste recycling centre).
We don’t put damp, mouldy, or grease-stained books into the paper. Mould is not “the patina of age”. It is a problem that shouldn’t be passed on.
Sometimes damaged books can be used creatively: for collages, art projects, set design, decorations, workshops. You do have to sense the limit, though. Not every book has to be turned into an ornament. Sometimes recycling will be the more honest choice.
What not to do with unwanted books?
We don’t leave boxes outside the library after hours. We don’t drop books off at schools without asking. We don’t put damaged copies into swap points hoping that “maybe someone will take them”. We don’t send charities a few boxes of random titles without checking whether they need them. We don’t throw into mixed waste publications that are still fit to give away, sell, swap, or recycle as paper.
It matters, because behind every such gesture is someone’s work. Someone has to move the books, look through them, sort them, dispose of them, or find space for them. Good intentions are not enough if a mess is left on the other side.
It is also not worth keeping books purely out of guilt. If we don’t want to read them, they don’t fit our life, and for years they have only taken up space, they may serve someone else far better.
How to prepare books for giving away or selling?
Before handing books on, it is worth dusting them, looking through them, and arranging them by theme. It doesn’t have to be a big operation. A few simple steps are enough.
We check that the book has all its pages. We remove private notes, loose sheets, photos, and documents. We clean the cover with a dry cloth. We group titles by type: fiction, children’s, educational, art books, guides, textbooks. If we are selling, we take clear photos of the cover, the spine, and any damage.
When giving away a larger number of books, it is a good idea to label the boxes. It saves time both for us and for the recipient. A box marked “children’s books, ages 3–6” is much friendlier than an anonymous box full of random titles.
If we are planning to post them, we pack the books tightly, but without forcing them in. The corners can be protected with paper or card. Books cope badly with moving around loosely in a parcel.
Which to choose: give away, sell, or recycle?
There is no single right answer for all books. The best decision depends on the condition, the subject, the age of the edition, and how much time we want to spend.
Well-kept and popular books can be given away or sold. Valuable, niche, specialist, or collector’s books are worth pricing first. Children’s books are best directed to places that work with children. School set texts may be useful to pupils, school libraries, or neighbourhood groups. Damaged copies should go for recycling, not to another person.
The most sensible approach? Don’t look for one place for the whole pile. Some can be sold, some given away, some swapped, and some recycled. Then the books end up where they make the most sense.
In summary: books don’t have to end up in the bin
What to do with unwanted books? First check their condition, then choose the right path. Giving away, selling, swapping, the library, buyback, a bookcrossing point, a charity, a school, recycling—each of these options can be good, but not for every copy.
If you are wondering where you can donate old books, start locally: the library, a school, a community centre, an after-school club, a neighbourhood group, a swap point. If the books have resale value, check used book buyback or list them yourself. If they are damaged, choose book recycling and don’t pass on something that is no longer fit to read.
A home library doesn’t have to be a museum of every past choice. It can change along with us. And the books that are no longer needed on our shelf don’t lose their meaning at all. Sometimes all it takes is steering them well, so they can still serve someone else.