Sponsor Spotlight
MassRecycle presented Got Books? of Lawrence a Recycling Business Green Binnie on October 30, 2007. Bob Ticehurst, President of Got Books? accepted the award at the Awards Celebration held at the DCU Center. The Green Binnies award program acknowledges individuals and organizations for their outstanding contributions to recycling in the state.
Got Books? is also currently a sponsor of the Mass Recycles Paper Campaign.
Got Books? provides outstanding book collection and processing services to both commercial and residential generators of recyclable material (books, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes). They also developed, maintain, and have grown an exemplary in house book reuse system that maximizes waste diversion.
- A few years ago, their residential pick-up volume was 25 per day but has now grown to over 100 MA pick ups/day.
- They also have collection containers distributed across the state. One container was placed in June 2006 and Got Books? currently has 215 containers placed in Massachusetts and almost 300 placed throughout New England.
- Got Books is currently preventing over one million pounds of books per month from being thrown away.
- Of the book donations collected, each weekend roughly 3,000-4,000 items are then reused and sold through their weekly Charity Book Sale with money being raised for local nonprofits. Over 200 patrons visit their sale each weekend.
- In June 2007 alone, they recycled 470,380 pounds of books that they couldn’t find another use for – that saved 3,998 trees and 18,815 cubic feet of landfilled space.
“We do not have the money to pay people to remove hard covers from books, so they ended up in the trash. Now these useful books will have a second life. It is a win-win situation for everyone.” Tim Price, Recycling Coordinator, Holyoke DPW
"We're trying in every way to make use of what comes out of a household. This is an important development because something that used to be thrown away in significant amounts into the landfill now has good use." Virginia Valiela, Executive Director, Greater New Bedford Regional Refuse Management District
