Board books have become a popular option for young children thanks to their durability and interactivity. As children outgrow them, many parents wonder if these chunky books can be recycled. As a professional board book printing manufacturer, I decided to do some research to find a definitive answer on whether board books are recyclable or not.
What Are Board Books?
For those unfamiliar, board books are small, thick books designed specifically for babies and toddlers. They are printed on heavy cardboard pages, rather than thin paper pages. This makes them durable and difficult to tear, perfect for little hands.
The cardboard pages are usually attached together inside a board book by gluing and stitching. Some board books also have interactive elements like textures, lift-the-flaps, slide-outs and more. These things make board books fun for kids, but complicate recycling.
Are Board Books Recyclable?
The short answer is yes, board books are recyclable. However, the actual recyclability depends on a few key factors:
- Where you live
- The recycling capabilities of your local facility
- The specific materials used to construct the board book
In most cases, the cardboard pages themselves are recyclable with other paper products. It’s the attached interactive elements, binding and outer covers that might not be recyclable.
Recycling Cardboard Pages
The good news is the cardboard pages inside board books match the paper recycling category of “boxboard”. This refers to thin cardboard like cereal boxes and food packaging.
So if your local curbside recycling program accepts boxboard, you should be able to include the inner pages of board books. Just be sure to remove any interactive parts first.
Recycling Book Covers
Board book covers can be made from various materials like cardboard, fabric, vinyl and plastic. Unfortunately most curbside recycling programs cannot process these types of materials.
You’ll need to remove board book covers and bring them to special recycling drop-off locations in your community. Use an item search tool to find out what’s accepted. If no recycling is available, handles covers may need to be trash.
Removing Interactive Elements
As mentioned, board books often have interactive add-ons like:
- Textures
- Lift-the-flaps
- Slide-outs
- Pull-tabs
- Squeakers
You must remove these pieces before recycling the remaining cardstock pages in your curbside pickup. Interactive pieces should be brought to special recycling centers in your area that can properly process them.
How To Recycle Board Books
If you have a stack of board books ready to be recycled, here is a step-by-step process:
Step 1: Disassemble
Carefully remove any interactive pieces like flaps, tabs, textures and more. Set these aside to bring to a specialty recycling center.
Also remove the outer cover if it’s made from vinyl, fabric, plastic or anything besides paper/cardboard.
Step 2: Check Paper Pages
Quickly flip through the pages and check for things like:
- Mold or mildew
- Ripped Pages
- Stains
- Damage from water or bugs
Pages with this type of damage cannot be recycled. You must throw them in the trash.
Step 3: Prepare Pages
Once you’ve removed all covers, interactive parts and damaged pages, gather the remaining cardboard sheets into a stack.
Make sure they’re clean and dry before moving ahead.
Step 4: Recycle Pages
You should now have a neat stack of clean, undamaged cardboard pages. Place them in your curbside recycling bin to be picked up and processed with other paper materials.
Step 5: Recycle Covers and Interactive Parts
Remember those book covers, vinyl pages, lift-the-flaps and more you set aside earlier? These require special recycling.
Use an item search tool for your area to find out where you can bring:
- Board book covers
- Vinyl or plastic pages
- Interactive book elements
Some common spots are retail stores, donation centers and specialty recycling events.
Can Public Libraries Accept Board Book Donations?
Board books tend to have a short life span before they become damaged and unusable. If your books are still in good shape, consider donating them to charity organizations and public libraries.
For example, book donation programs like Friends of the Library support local library branches. They accept gently used children’s books, including board books, to resell or give away for free reading programs.
I recommend calling your local public library branch first to make sure they can accept board book donations. Many libraries host annual book sales or have partnerships with literacy foundations. This means they may only accept donations during certain drive events or funding campaigns throughout the year.
Board books in poor condition should not be donated and instead recycled appropriately. Damaged books with mold, rips, stains or signs of bugs can contaminate other materials and spread issues if not handled properly.
Libraries that cannot directly accept board book donations can usually provide guidance on the donation process or local recycling resources.
Recycling Board Books is Important
We may not realize just how big of an impact board books have on the environment. But here are some fast facts that show why recycling board books matters:
- Popular board book series like Goodnight Moon have sold over 40 million copies
- Board books represent about 10% of books purchased for children under 5 years old
- Recycling just 1 ton of cardboard saves 46 gallons of oil, 7 trees and 4,100 kWh of energy
So while board books might seem small, their sheer volume coupled with environmentally-intensive materials makes proper recycling essential.
Following the right steps to remove interactive parts, donate or recycle covers, and process cardboard pages correctly keeps board book waste out of landfills. It also gives the materials renewed purpose.
For example, recycled cardboard can be used to create new cereal boxes, egg cartons, mailing envelopes and other paper goods. And recycling interactive add-ons like plastic decreases the need for new plastic production.
In the case of board books, big things really do come in small packages when it comes to environmental impact!
Key Takeaways On Recycling Board Books
- The cardboard pages in board books match the “boxboard” paper recycling category. So if your curbside program accepts boxboard, you can include pages.
- Remove all vinyl pages, lift-the-flaps, slide-outs and other interactive elements first. Bring to a special recycling center.
- Also take off the outer cover if it’s made from non-paper/cardboard materials. Recycle separately from pages if possible.
- Thoroughly check paper pages for mold, rips, stains and other damage before recycling. Damaged pages cannot be recycled.
- If your board books are still usable, consider donating them to charity book drives or your local library branch.
I hope this guide gave you clear direction on responsibly recycling board books. As always, connect with your local waste authority if any questions come up on programs in your area. We can all do our small part to lower paper waste and keep children’s books out of landfills.