A greener future for library books
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Did you know that Australian libraries are required to regularly remove unwanted library items? Through this process, around 4.5 million printed books are headed to landfill each year. In our libraries alone, we remove 50,000 items per year which is an average of 53 boxes of items each week.
That is why we have partnered with our collections partner James Bennett to deliver The Sustainability Project, a green initiative to assist in disposing of unwanted library material.
What happens to these items?Unwanted library items we remove from our collection are responsibility disposed of by our collection partner through donations to communities in need or by recycling into new products.
For the library items that are in good condition and can be sold, they are shared with online marketplaces such as Amazon. This in turn generates funds for libraries which we partly donate to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. The other portion of the funds is used to purchase new items for our collection.
The Sustainability Project is in line with the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) sustainability guidelines. The project also contributes towards the environment and sustainability goals adopted by Council.
We are proud to play our part in creating a greener future.