Recycling must always be the last option if we want to be more sustainable
First of all, we must comply with the reduction and reuse rules
We tell you several ways to extend the useful life of textbooks and school supplies and how to recycle them if there is no alternative
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Every year hundreds of families buy textbooks, notebooks, pencils, pens and all the necessary material for going back to school. However, before acquiring any product it would be interesting to think if it is really necessary or if we already have an equivalent at home that we can take advantage of.
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Recycling is only part of the so-called rule of the three r’s and, in addition, it should be the last option to take care of the environment. The first rule is to reduce the volume of products we consume and the second to reuse everything we already have for the same purpose for which it was created or for a different one.
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These universal rules also apply to textbooks and school supplies. So, it is important buy only what is necessary and try to reuse as much as possible what we already have. Therefore, in this article we explain not only how to recycle, but how to make a more sustainable management of school supplies.
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A more sustainable return to school
If we apply the rule of the three r’s in full, in addition to being more sustainable, we will also be able to save some money to make the September slope more bearable. Here are some ideas for complying with the first rule of recycling.
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- Use the notebooks you already have or buy recycled paper notebooks.
- Opt for refillable pens and pencils.
- Choose paints and watercolors made from natural materials.
- Don’t buy a new backpack every year. Take advantage of the one you already have and personalize it, if you want, with patches or badges.
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How to recycle textbooks
Recycling textbooks can be a complicated task, since in many cases they finish the course in poor condition, with annotations or face editing changes. However, there are several ways that will allow you to extend the useful life of textbooks.
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First, there are so-called book banks, an initiative that has been gaining popularity among municipalities and schools and that consists of give away the books we have used in the previous year in exchange for receiving those that we are going to use in this.
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In order to benefit from this initiative, it is essential to deliver the textbooks in very good condition, otherwise they will not be accepted. Likewise, this whole process can be good for the education of minors, who will learn to take care of their belongings and to be supportive.
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If textbooks are not good for the book bank, you can give them a second life and send them to those who need them most through textbook collection campaigns carried out by various NGOs.
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Ultimately, if the books are in very bad shape and are not suitable for donation, you can recycle them in the blue bin or in the green point of your city.
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How to recycle notebooks
We usually tend to accumulate notebooks that still have a few blank pages. Before disposing of them, you can remove the used pages (as long as they are not important) and reuse the notebook with the pages you still have brand new.
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You can also do it the other way around: remove the blank pages from several notebooks and join them together by stapling, sewing or gluing them to create a new notebook.
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The spent leaves that you are no longer going to use can be recycled in the blue container. If they are spiral notebooks, you will have to separate this element and throw it in the yellow container.
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How to recycle markers and pens
As we have already mentioned, the best option to avoid throwing pens or pencils is to use those that allow refills. If you still have material that can no longer be used, you can recycle it if you take it to the green point of your city.
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Please note that only markers, pens, markers, and pens can be recycled. On the other hand, other items such as pencils, chalk, rulers or glues are not accepted and should be thrown into the gray container.
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