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exterior of Recycled Reads shop on Burnet Road in Austin, Texas

Austin Public Library Announces Transition Timeline for Recycled Reads and New Donation Policies

Bookstore to close on Jan. 17 as program shifts to systemwide service in early 2026

Austin, TX - Austin Public Library (APL) has announced a timeline for the transition to its new citywide model for used materials sales, as well as updates to policies regarding donations of used books and media from the public. These policy changes and timeline, which includes a closing date of January 17, 2026 for the Recycled Reads bookstore at 5335 Burnet Rd., will allow APL to make the operational changes necessary to begin Recycled Reads materials sales at all Austin Public Library locations starting in February 2026 with minimal disruption to the public.

Key dates and policy changes:

  • Effective Nov. 17, 2025 – APL only accepting materials donations in the form of books and the following media formats: Blu-rays, DVDs, CDs
  • Dec. 31, 2025 – Final day for the public to drop off donations at Recycled Reads bookstore; Final day for public to check-out/borrow items from the Tool Library collection.
  • Effective Jan. 2, 2026 – New maximum donation volumes go into effect at all APL libraries: 2 grocery bags or standard boxes (e.g., copy paper or banker's)  
  • Jan. 17, 2026 – Last day Recycled Reads bookstore open to the public
  • Beginning Feb. 2026 - Recycled Reads materials sales begin at APL libraries

Recycled Reads was established in 2009 to support the City of Austin’s Zero Waste Plan by ensuring obsolete materials from the Austin Public Library collection are handled in an environmentally friendly way by keeping these materials out of landfills. Materials in sellable condition were made available for the public to buy at a bookstore operated by the library in a rented, privately-owned storefront, while unsellable and unsold materials were sent to a recycling partner, Goodwill Central Texas, to have the binding removed and be recycled.

The lease and operational costs of operating the sales component of Recycled Reads out of the rented storefront exceeded sales revenue by over $400,000 in each of the last two fiscal years. The City of Austin Strategic Facilities Plan instructs City departments to “reduce the reliance on leased space,” and City departments have sought in recent years to shift operations out of privately-owned leased spaces into city-owned facilities whenever possible.

To reduce taxpayer costs and make access to used materials more equitable citywide, APL decided not to pursue renewing the lease on the rented storefront on Burnet Rd., which expires in March 2026, and to shift the material sales component of the Recycled Reads program from a single bookstore model to a systemwide model, with permanent materials sales at all libraries throughout the city. APL is also continuing to grow the program by adding a new recycling partner, Better World Books, to continue diverting materials out of landfills.

APL has already begun the process of transitioning some operations out of the storefront on Burnet Rd., with one of APL’s four Passport Services Offices having moved from Recycled Reads to the Yarborough Branch Library in October 2025.

Additional details about donation policy are available on APL’s Policy Page.