Recycled Reads, the Austin Public Library’s used bookstore, reuse, repurpose, and recycling center opened to the public in February, 2009 to provide a sustainable option for weeded and donated materials.

Over almost seven years Recycled Reads has:• Processed over 2 million items• Diverted 1225 tons from landfills• Received the 2014 IMLS Sparks! Ignition Grant• Received the 2015 Library Journal Mover and Shaker

Award for Innovation

Primary materials fall into four basic categories:

• Books• VHS, Audio Cassette and related media• DVDs, CDs and Books on tape and Cd• Vinyl Records

Recycled Reads handles 60,000-70,000 items per month

Books:• Reuse: Recycled Reads tries to sell as many books as

possible through our storefront and online store to raise revenue for the Austin Public Library

• Repurpose: Books that cannot be sold due to condition, relevancy of information and quantity, are turned is to decorative items (see below)

• Recycling: Books that cannot be reused or repurposed due to condition, quantity, demand, available labor/volunteers are sent for recycling with our partner Goodwill of Central Texas

• Availability: Recycled Reads’ constant supply of books exceeds what we can reuse or repurpose. COA does not allow giving of material, but we can set price (pennies per lb.). Materials would need to be picked up.

VHS and AudioReuse: Recycled Reads tries to sell as many tapes as possible through our storefront to raise revenue for the Austin Public Library. While we can sell commercial tapes, we are not allowed to sell privately produced tapes. Repurpose: Recycled Reads has attempted to make items such as handbags and decorative items, but stopped due to concerns about toxicity. We are also limited by demand and man hours to produced repurposed items. We did learn about Sonic Fabric made by Alyce Santoro who weaves audio tapes into materials for neckties and other custom clothing on a vintage loom. Her process is not proprietary and she is only using audio.Recycling: Currently Austin Resource Recovery pick up and stores materials until a solution can be found. They collect from 2,000-3500 tapes from us per month. We have over 1,000 tapes as inventory.Availability: Recycled Reads’ constant supply of VHS exceeds what we can reuse or repurpose. COA does not allow giving of material, but we can set price (pennies per lb.). Materials would need to be picked up.

Vinyl:Reuse: Recycled Reads tries to sell as many vinyl records as possible through our storefront to raise revenue for the Austin Public Library. Repurpose: Recycled Reads has attempted to make decorative items, We are also limited by demand and man hours to produced repurposed items. Several optometry retailers offer eyeglass frames made out of vinyl records. The only manufacturer we found is in Hungary.Recycling: Currently Austin Resource Recovery pick up and stores materials until a solution can be found.. Availability: Recycled Reads ’supply of vinyl does not exceed demand except for damaged items. COA does not allow giving of material, but we can set price (pennies per lb.). Materials would need to be picked up.

Recycled Reads and the Austin Public Library are proud of the sustainable model we have created for books and media. We hope our excess materials can be incorporated into durable products or artwork. Folks in the organic farming movement often ask: “Do you know where your food comes from?” They want people to be aware that bread does not come from the grocery store. There is a process around the mass production of loaves that has an impact on the environment. We want to make consumers aware that books don’t just come from libraries and bookstores. Publishers make production decisions that have environmental consequences. We hope that the lifecycle of materials we bring into APL, extends beyond the checkout process.