To put books in the bin?

[OneNight]

I have many hundreds of books to dispose of. They're all good books in good condition, some of them doublers some just no longer what I want to read, let go for a variety of reasons and the sort of items which I'd have thought would sell at the right price. I'll still have maybe a thousand or two left to use myself.

I put the first load in bags and took them down to the nearest charity shop: a decent little place where they sell books from 10p upwards so you'd think they would shift. To my consternation, they very nearly wouldn't take them.

'Oh we don't sell many books any more Dear - they all read their Kindles'.

They did eventually agree to take them and I slunk out and haven't been back which still leaves me with my front hall covered in piles. I'm now actually considering putting the rest in the bin which feels quite dreadful. I never thought that might be something I'd do.

Are books dead?

No. My local second hand bookshop is very popular. They will even buy certain books.

Plus Oxfam have a bookshop chain. You could ask them?

Oh no please don't do that

You could try bookcrossing. Or donate them to a school or library.

Or ebay.

Freecycle!

my local recycling centre has one of those big bins (like the clothes ones) for books,try there?

Or just leave them in a box outside your house with a 'free, please take' sign. They will go. I did that and they were all taken, and I came home a couple of days later to find a mysterious jar of home made jam on my doorstep, I assume as a thank you!

Please don't - try another charity shop some even collect!

YANBU. I had boxes and boxes of books I wanted go get rid of. I tried freecycle,my local FB groups, the schools and libraries in my area... No one wanted them (except a couple of people who asked me to deliver them 50 miles away).
They ended up at the tip. I felt very sad but I could not keep them forever.

I will have them, I love books and don't like reading on Kindles. I would love to have more books, I have a little library. Please don't throw them send them my way please.

Selks that's really nice!

The pub in my village has a book exchange and I've also seen old telephone boxes used for this in villages. Would a hospital take them? Or maybe a retirement home/complex?

My BHF has a specialist bookshop, so if you can find similar, they would take them.

Teenage DD is doing the Challenge at the moment. I went to a presentation that all of the groups did after one particular part.of it The various groups had been visiting old people's homes, and one group mentioned that they were going to raise money for books for their home because one of the ladies had said that they only had about 10 books left, and she was reading the same one over and over. So, might be worth giving any local old people's homes a ring. Also maybe hospices, and hospitals.

I have also seen soldiers serving overseas asking for parcels of books to be sent. They are free to post. I don't have the details, but other posters might know.

These are all things I might have thought of but my principle has always been to donate them to a charity shop because I found so many old friends in charity shops when I was younger and with barely two pennies to rub together. The women in the shop were so dismissive though and it got me to thinking that none of the youngsters in the family seem to actually read these days - they're all gaming on their devices or something similar.

Throwing away books would make me feel so guilty and bad though.

I loathe kindles and love books. Yabu to throw them away. You could free cycle, amazon etc etc

Or take them to a local hospital. Psychiatric units can usually do with some good ones.

Thank you for the suggestions, Leeds2, especially about old people's homes. I might try those locally.

sell them as lots on amazon

A friend of mine recently climbed into a skip to rescue thrown books!

Shame the people in the charity shop were so unhelpful. We inundated our local charity shops recently when we moved. Thankfully all of them still sell books.

Definitely worth asking at local schools/library though - or what about hospitals/hospices?

Or me?

the same thing has happened twice to me trying to donate books to charity shops - one refused them point blank (the manager was incredibly rude), the other took them with very bad grace and made it clear they didn't want any more. So I don't feel there is an option to do anything other than bin them. I hate doing it though.

I was going to say hospital as well - give them to the hospital library (often just a trolley) for patients and visitors to read. :)

Hospitals and care homes sound like a brilliant idea. Maybe refuges or hostels as well?

NO!!!!

snobby charity shop by the sound of it. Fetes and charity events should welcome them, there is freegle as well as freecycle, local facebook groups. Less popular charities may collect; our local Relate is happy to pick things up. Oxfam have book donation bins in car parks.

I know it is a pain but please please don't bin them. There is no 'away' to throw things.

Am I really the only person who lives in an area where there are book recycling banks?? They don't just pulp them you know!

There's a couple of schemes where you can print out a message to stick in a book and then just leave it somewhere public. On a bench, at a cash point etc for someone to find.
I would love to find one but never have.