No one wants old sets of encyclopedias in the age of the internet. What to do with them besides sending them to the landfill? You have several options.
One thing I have done is to stack them on the floor to use as an extra side table. Such a stack fits in places that most tables don’t & it is great to hold a cup of coffee and a couple of small items. I think this looks best when the books are stacked artfully, in a sort of random, out of line fashion. If you prefer them to be neatly stacked go for it.
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| Altered Book Art |
Ordinarily I cringe to see a book turned into an “altered book.” But with encyclopedias, let the art begin! Use an exacto knife to cut the shapes you want in the middle of the book. Glue does the rest. Click here to see many examples of this art.
You can rip out the pages and use them as wrapping paper for small items. Tie with a piece of red yarn for a nice look that is inexpensive and cute. Colorful maps in them also make good wrapping paper. You can use pages in decoupage projects, like covering picture frames. You could make a very cool collage piece of art with other items added if you like. All sorts of craft projects can use pages. Papier mache? Making paper? Origami? Paper roses for a wreath?
You can tear out the pages, put them through a shredder & add them to your compost. You could use them to grow mushrooms on for a tasty way to recycle.
Most schools, etc. do not want these physical encyclopedias, but you can check with your local schools.
Let’s get creative to recycle these icons of yesteryear.
Maggie says
Just wanted to add a nice craft. To give a facelift to old Christmas ornaments cover them with strips of printed paper. Cut the encyclopedia page into 1-inch wide strips and wind around the ornament until it is covered. Use dots of glue where needed. Add a pretty ribbon bow at the top of the ornament and let plenty of ribbon fall down the sides of the ornament. Red ribbon gives a nice contrast. You could also glue on small pine cones, beads, etc. just below the ribbon. This works best with strips that don’t have pictures on them. Get creative and have fun!