Board books hold a special place in most parents’ hearts. These chunky, durable books withstand years of love from little hands. But what happens when your kids have outgrown them? Can you recycle board books?
As a professional board book printing manufacturer, I took a deep dive into this question, uncovering everything you need to know about responsibly disposing of board books in 2024.
Why Recycling Board Books Matters
Once the final “The End” has been read, most board books end up in the trash. This adds up fast – it’s estimated that over 320 million books per year become landfill waste.
And board books are bulky. Made from thick cardboard pages, they take up space that’s increasingly scarce as landfills reach capacity.
Recycling even one board book may seem trivial. But multiply that by the millions disposed of yearly, and the impact grows exponentially.
Beyond landfill waste, there’s the toll book production takes on our environment. The paper and cardboard come from trees that clean our air, prevent erosion, and provide wildlife habitats. Recycling reduces the demand for virgin wood pulp.
It also significantly decreases water and energy consumption over producing paper products from scratch.
So recycling board books benefits our planet across metrics: preserving landfill space, protecting forests, and lowering resource use.
Can You Recycle Board Books
Yes, the good news is that board books can and should be recycled. Both the thick cardboard pages and printed paper covers are recyclable materials.
However, preparation is key. Board books must be properly cleaned and treated before putting them in your curbside recycling bin.
Here are tips on prepping board books for recycling:
- Remove any plastic elements – things like toy attachments or sound buttons should be taken off. Plastic cannot be processed with paper recycling.
- Take the book apart – separate the cover from the inside pages before recycling.
- Clean off stains – ground in food or dirt makes paper unrecyclable. Surface level grime is ok.
- Dry out wet books before recycling as moisture leads to contamination.
- Avoid musty books with mold, mildew or a smell of dampness.
Follow these steps, and both board book covers and interior pages can successfully enter paper recycling streams.
Why Can’t All Books Be Recycled?
While board books themselves are recyclable, traditional printed books have more limitations on what can and can’t be processed.
Paperback books are typically fully recyclable, including covers. The glue binding and lightweight cardstock integrate fine with other mixed paper products during pulping.
Hardcover books, however, can’t be recycled whole. Their rigid covers don’t breakdown and contain inks, glossy coatings and glues that contaminate paper recycling machinery.
So hardcovers must be manually dismantled first:
- Remove the cover board and spine material
- Strip out any CD/DVD inserts
- Recycle the interior pages only
This extra step makes hardcover recycling tedious. But it transforms an unrecyclable item into paper that gets remade into egg cartons, paper towels and other products.
The exceptions are leather-bound or gilded books. These require specialty handling beyond standard recycling capabilities. If rare book restoration isn’t possible, they may need to be sensitively discarded.
How to Recycle Board Books
Wondering how to responsibly recycle board books in your area? Here are tips on where and how to give board books a second life:
Curbside Pickup
In most municipalities, board books can be added straight to paper recycling bins collected at the curb.
The extensive fiber recycling network across the US readily accepts mixed paper from households. This includes cereal boxes, phone books, padded mailers and – you guessed it – board books.
Cardboard-paged books count as a type of thick cardboard within the paper product umbrella. As long as they’re clean and dry, into the curbside bin they go.
Drop-Off Locations
Some towns don’t offer curbside recycling or have restrictions on book recycling. In that case, seek out paper product drop-off depots instead.
Use the Earth911 Recycling Locator and enter your zip code to find nearby drop-off sites. You can also search for options to recycle books specifically.
Specialty Recyclers
A final option is sending board books to specialty recyclers like Green Fiber or Paper Retriever. They focus exclusively on paper products and have the capabilities to accept whole books.
Shipping is required to mail books to these recyclers. But it allows nearly guaranteed, responsible recycling if local options are lacking.
Creative Board Book Upcycling Ideas
Before consigning board books to the recycling bin, consider upcycling them instead. This repurposes unwanted items into something useful, decreasing waste.
From decor to organizational tools, board books transform easily into handy household helpers with a little DIY spirit.
Book Page Art
Little hands love coloring. Transfer that creative energy into art projects using board book pages as the canvas.
Decoupage colorful paper cuts outs or get decaling with vinyl stickers. Add some acrylic paint details then coat with sealant. Display proudly or gift to relatives.
Board Book Storage Boxes
A board book’s best quality – its thickness – lends perfectly to converting books into storage boxes.
Hollow out the pages, leaving the rigid front and back covers intact. Glue decorative scrapbook paper inside the blank book boxes for pattern or color. Now they’re ready to corral office supplies, small toiletries or hide keepsakes.
Book Page Garlands
String up a festive banner using board book pages. Cut pages into shapes – try hearts, circles or clouds. Punch holes along the edge, thread twine through and space out pages as you tie end-to-end into a loop.
Bonus: the garland doubles as a literacy activity. Help young kids spell out names or vocabulary words letter by letter.
While not exhaustive, this list sparks creative ways to reuse beloved board books. Shared DIY ideas online offer more inspiration to transform tattered books into something treasured.
Upcycling prevents quality board books from getting tossed when they could enlighten young minds or spark imagination through art.
In Summary
As board book recycling awareness grows, future generations will think twice before trashing titles they’ve outgrown. Recycling, donating or crafting breathes new life into well-loved books.
Doing your small part today helps shift perspectives, preserving environmental resources for all children. Because board books tell an even more important tale – one of sustainability and legacy for the readers yet to come.