Where Do Donated Books Go After We Collect Them?
Once you’ve booked a free doorstep book collection and the van pulls away from your door, your books start a journey that ends with someone else reading them. We bring them back to our warehouse, sort them by hand and pass on what can be read again. Children’s books often go to The Children’s Book Project. Here is what happens to donated books after we collect them, stage by stage.
- Sorted by hand
- Most passed on to new readers
- Children’s books to The Children’s Book Project
- Worn-out books recycled
The journey
From your doorstep to a new reader
Collected from your door
On your collection day, you leave your boxes or tied bags of books out by 7am. You don’t need to be in. Our driver picks them up along with anything else you’ve put out, such as CDs, DVDs or films.
At the end of the day, everything goes back to our warehouse, where the day’s donations are unloaded together. Nothing is passed on straight off the van. Every box goes through the same checks first.
Not booked yet? See how to donate your books, step by step.
Sorted by hand
Every box is opened and every book is checked by hand. Our team looks at the condition of each one and sorts them by type: novels, non-fiction, cook books, academic textbooks, children’s books and more. Any CDs and DVDs that came in the same collection are checked separately.
This careful sorting is what makes sure each book goes somewhere it will actually be read. Books that are too damaged to read again are set aside at this stage. You can read what happens to them in stage 5.
Children’s books to The Children’s Book Project
Picture books, early readers and children’s novels in good condition can go to The Children’s Book Project. This charity passes books on to children who need them. A book a family has outgrown could become the first book a child has ever owned. The National Literacy Trust has found that around 1 in 10 children and young people in the UK don’t have a book of their own at home.
We regularly take our sorted children’s books to the charity’s London warehouse. There, their volunteers unload them and sort them again, ready to go out to children. Read more on children’s books and The Children’s Book Project.
Passed on to new readers
Most of the other books we sort are passed on so they can be read again. That includes thrillers and romance novels, biographies, cook books and textbooks. Each one goes to a reader who wants a book that feels new to them.
Every book read again is one that didn’t need to be printed new. It is also one that didn’t end up at the tip.
The books that can’t be read again
Because we ask for books in good condition, most of what we collect can be passed on. Books that can’t be re-homed are not thrown away. They are pulped and repurposed into recycled paper, which is far better than ending up at the local tip.
That is why the list of what books we can and can’t take matters. The more of each box that can be read again, the further your donation goes.
The money goes to charity
Passing the books on pays for the collection, the sorting and the transport. A large percentage of the proceeds goes to the charity you chose when you booked. You can read more on who do my books help?
Why this journey matters. We estimate that every kilo of books read again instead of printed new saves around 1 kg of CO2e. It’s an estimate, but it shows how a box of books adds up. You can see roughly what your own clear-out could save with our green calculator. There is more on how donating books helps the planet. To find out what happens to books that are thrown away, see why old books shouldn’t go in the bin.
Before we collect
Help your books go further
A little care when you pack makes a real difference to how many of your books can be passed on.
- Choose books in good, new-like condition, not marked, stamped or drawn in.
- Pack them in boxes or strong, tied bags that a driver can lift on their own.
- Keep them dry. Damp books can’t be read again, so use a porch if it might rain.
- Leave them out by 7am on your collection day, and tell us when you book if you have more than 20 bags or boxes.
Questions
Questions about what happens to donated books
Are all my books passed on?
Most are. Every book is checked by hand, and those in good condition go on to new readers. Children’s books often go to The Children’s Book Project. Books too damaged to read again are pulped into recycled paper instead of being thrown away.
Can I choose where my children’s books go?
We sort every donation ourselves, so we can’t promise a particular book will go to a particular place. But good-condition children’s books are the ones we pass on to The Children’s Book Project.
Who checks my books?
Our own team at our warehouse. Every box is opened and sorted by hand.
Where do you collect from?
We collect from homes across most of England and South Wales. Find your area on areas we cover. If you’re in Yorkshire, see book donations in Yorkshire.
More answers are on our frequently asked questions page. For the full list of what we take, see everything we collect. If you work for a council, you can read how we work with local authorities on council partnerships.
Ready to give your books a second life? Book a free doorstep collection and choose the charity your donation supports.
Ready to donate your books?
It’s free, you don’t need to be at home, and you choose the charity your donation supports.