Same answer in every state and territory
Where to donate books, DVDs and CDs in Australia
Anywhere in Australia, books in good condition can go to an op shop, but ring first: many have stopped taking them and pay to dump the excess. Street libraries, schools and nursing homes are often better. Unwanted paperbacks go in the recycling bin. CDs, DVDs and their cases are not kerbside recyclable and go in general waste.
Sources Recycle Right WA
What do I do with books, dvds & cds?
- Ring before you drive Many op shops have stopped taking books entirely. Turning up with six boxes is how they end up paying to dump them.
- Better routes A street library, a school, a nursing home, or a specialist dealer for anything unusual or local.
- Genuinely unwanted paperbacks Recycling bin. Tear off hard covers first — board and glue contaminate the paper stream.
Discs aren't kerbside recyclable anywhere in Australia — CDs, DVDs and their cases go in general waste unless a specialist takes them.
Will op shops take books?
Some will, many will not. Books are slow to sell and heavy to dump, so a growing number of Salvos, Vinnies and independent op shops have stopped accepting them. Ring before you drive. Turning up with six boxes is how a charity ends up paying a landfill fee for your bookshelf.
Can I put books in the recycling bin?
Yes, paperbacks go in the kerbside recycling bin anywhere in Australia. Tear off hard covers first, because board and glue contaminate the paper stream. Do not bag them.
Can CDs and DVDs be recycled?
Not at the kerb, anywhere in Australia. Discs and their cases go in general waste unless a specialist e-waste or disc recycler near you takes them. Discs with their cases can still sell at an op shop or online, particularly box sets and anything out of print.
What about encyclopedias and old textbooks?
They have no resale market at all. Encyclopedias, superseded textbooks and condensed-volume sets are the classic op-shop dumping problem. Recycling bin, hard covers off. Donating them just moves your disposal cost onto a charity.
Need it gone this week?
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This answer is the same in every state and territory, so there is one page for it. The answers that change at the state border are listed at where does it go.