New chapter for green donations in the Borders
Wednesday, March 19 2008
Donating books to charity in the Borders has now become even better for the environment.
Donating books to charity in the Borders has now become even better for the environment.
Scottish Borders Council, working in partnership with Bookdonors, the Selkirk-based community interest company which sells unwanted books on the internet for charities and gives away books to community groups, has secured funding for this year from the Scottish Government’s Strategic Waste 150 Fund for the books it sends for recycling.
Now, not only are books reused by someone else – making money for the charity in the process – but they will be fully recycled if no-one wants to buy them.
Julie Rankine, Scottish Borders Council’s Waste Strategy Manager, said: “You know that if you donate a book to a charity shop which works with Bookdonors, it will not end up in landfill if it can’t be sold. In addition, those books will be included in the Scottish Borders recycling rate calculations and Bookdonors will receive funding for every tonne it recycles.
“The funding means that Bookdonors can expand its activities so that more books will be kept out of the general waste stream.”
Lawrie Hayworth, Chairman of Bookdonors, said: “If you have any unwanted books, it makes good sense to pass them on to a charity shop anyway. By donating to a shop, it means that your books get a second chance of being reused – sold on the internet or given away – and ultimately, if they can’t be reused, they are pulped for recycling rather than sent to landfill.”
As a social enterprise, Bookdonors also brings valuable jobs and training to people who have found it difficult to obtain work and this funding helps the operation expand and secure local employment opportunities.
Bookdonors works in partnership with most charity shops in the Borders. A full listing of Charity shops can be found in the centre pages of the recent Waste & Recycling, Let’s get it sorted leaflet that was delivered to each household in the Borders at the beginning of February 2008.
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