View Full Version : Disassembling our 40 Encyclopedia Britannicas.........
Not easy. I've researched and called around, and nobody wants old Encyclopedias. We bought them when my oldest child was born. They were necessary when we were growing up, for lots of school reports. Then along came the computer. So......I thought the least I could do is recycle the paper in them.......since recycling places don't take them intact.
Man, these were made so well. I've struggled for about 45 minutes on just one of them. I've used various screwdrivers, scissors, hack saw, a pry tool, and various other tools, and I finally got the paper out...of the first one.
I know that paper is probably the best thing you can throw in the earth, but it just makes me feel better to at least only send their covers to the dump.
DH has dozens of every tool known to man (same tool.....but dozens of them).........and can I find a box cutter anywhere?? No. I'm thinking the box cutter would be the best bet, just to score down the side of the pages and pull them out.
Any suggestions? My poor arthritic fingers. I just went through a pile of old school notebooks and pulled the papers out of them (the ones with the curly wire binding)...to recycle.
At least I'm energized to clean things out. Just wish it was a bit easier.
So......any suggestions as to how to more easily get all the pages out of these encyclopedias? (there's 40 of them).
Chicken lady
1-26-17, 12:45pm
No good ideas, but thank you.
No good ideas, but thank you.
:)
Band saw?
That's probably a great idea, but we don't have one (the one thing we don't have!). I'm thinking a box cutter with a new blade might be the easiest. We probably have some around here, but who knows where DH has hidden it. I've tried to pull the pages out by hand, and they don't rip straight and then there's a mess to pull out of the spine. I might resort to just using some TNT. :~)
These were the research resource in my house growing up. My brothers went to Harvard and MIT, probably due to the EB.
I know you live in the country. I would take them into the garden and make a little garden wall out of the them. Cover them with cob, make a window with a glass bottle--you get the idea.
I feel your pain, last year I finally got rid of the set my parents bought me when I was a kid. Our recycling center took them intact, luckily, I can't imagine the effort to shuck them all.
I have to admit, even though dealing with just one of them was such a pain, at times I just had to stop and laugh at what I was using to try to get this thing apart. :laff:
They probably would have come apart much more easily, if they weren't in absolutely great/unused condition (for the past 30+ years). They sure looked nice in my oak barrister style bookcase though!
My mom has 3 sets that I will have to deal with. I was wondering why you hadn't used a box cutter...until I finished your post. :D Sorry you can't find one. Do you have a good sharp pair of scissors or a fabric rotary cutter (you'd be willing to donate to the cause? - I'd never allow my good sewing shears or rotary cutter near paper). You could open up scissors (if really sharp and score the pages that way). What ever you do...be careful!
Thanks Float On..........I've tried lots of different cutting things.......even a hack saw.......but I'll just wait now, until I can get a box cutter. I'm just glad I didn't hurt myself with all the contorting I was doing with sharp objects!
ToomuchStuff
1-27-17, 8:50am
There is a portable tool, that can do similar to a bandsaw, a jigsaw. I expect you will need to use a spring clamp to hold the cover open together, or rip it off, and then cut along the spine.
Other option might be to contact a commercial shredding place and see if they will do them, if you meet them somewhere they are doing work.
Thanks TMS..........actually, I meant to ask my DH if we have a jigsaw, but I forgot. We have a couple out-buildings where it might live.
Yeah, DH is having tons of things shredded at his office, and I wondered if they would take whole encyclopedias. I will try to find that out today.
Meanwhile........I'm having a panic attack........and severe separation anxiety over this. As I was tearing all this history up in the first 4 books, it just really, really bothers me. I think after it's all gone, I won't feel this way anymore.......but the process is excruciating.
I actually started thinking about just storing the dang things until I have more time to think about it. (Since 30 years hasn't been enough!) haha
Surely those shredding companies recycle that paper, don't you think? I wonder how they would sift out the faux leather covers?
When I worked at a university, entire books were sent to recycler at the end of the semester. Not sure you have to dismantle.
When I send things that will end up as mixed material, I have fears that it will be thrown out and not recycled. I guess you could say I'm very distrustful of what "recyclers" really do with the stuff.
ToomuchStuff
1-27-17, 9:44am
Some of the paper is recycled, but shredded paper takes more work. My parents city, does mandatory recycling and only this last year, started taking shredded paper. (it has some chemical process, to dissolve it into pulp, my understanding)
TMS......are you saying that shredded paper is more difficult to recycle than whole pages?
ToomuchStuff
1-27-17, 10:03am
TMS......are you saying that shredded paper is more difficult to recycle than whole pages?
That is what their city informed them. I am only going by that as I tend to use mine as kindling.
Cathy A. I struggled with getting rid of the encyclopedias and finally just put them in the trash a few at a time. It was hard...I loved the gold edges and the covers, but they were of no use....then my Brother in Law emailed me about getting some for my sister for Christmas....he bought them from Craig's List. I think they have probably recycled them or trashed them by now. So, good luck.
Thanks nswef. It's like saying goodbye to a time in life, in general was a bit simpler.....and things were made better. These "unused" ones are in perfect condition and so very, very well made. It's so hard to have not lived a simpler life in the past and then need to deal with so much stuff now......some of which was so important and valuable at one time. I just know, once these are gone, someone will say "Hey.....I'm interested in those encyclopedias you had....are they still available?" haha So I guess I should expect it and not be surprised.
TMS...........hey, kindling is a great idea......that way, it's giving to you twice! Thanks for that idea, TMS! We do have a fire place. Sometimes recycling uses up more energy than it's worth. and we can give thanks to it, as it warms us.
goldensmom
1-27-17, 12:15pm
I am surprised that recycle would not take intact books as that is how I disposed of a set encyclopedias. It was sad because they were in new condition but I'd not looked at them in years and they were taking up space. Have you asked your local school or library how they dispose of old books?
Thanks goldensmom. I have the feeling that as more people/organizations are becoming aware of recycling, they might be getting overloaded and have to turn things down, or make different rules of what is acceptable.
To be honest with you, I don't trust some organizations/recycling businesses, etc. to be the most environmentally concerned people. So maybe I'm "doomed" to tear it all down myself, and take the recyclable stuff to a place that just does paper.....or, like TMS does, burn it in the fireplace as kindling. A few years ago, I carefully flattened and bound up all my cardboard and set all my recyclables out in a special "recyclables" container provided by the business that picks it up. One day, I saw the trash truck come and dump it all in with his trash. I ran him down and screamed at him. He didn't have a clue what I was talking about. That business quit the recycling part, and now I take it all myself to the city street department that has bins for stuff. And I take all my paper to Abitibi sites. Yeah, I'm a control freak. :~)
iris lilies
1-27-17, 1:16pm
I am surprised that recycle would not take intact books as that is how I disposed of a set encyclopedias. It was sad because they were in new condition but I'd not looked at them in years and they were taking up space. Have you asked your local school or library how they dispose of old books?
https://www.facebook.com/B-Logistics-302911543080044/
My library sent 100,000 items to B-logistics annually for "recycling." When asked what they did with items that did not sell, they replied that they "recycled" those items. I did not inquire further, or press for information on what exactly that means because I didnt want to know. Each year we netted $$$ from this business relationship.
We boxed up the books and other items, put them on pallets, and those pallets were loaded into a semi truck a few times a year where they were driven from St. Louis to Colorado.
You all would be surprised, or maybe not, at the number of people who called us at the public library to insist that we should take their old encyclopedia sets because we should take their old encyclopedia sets. They didnt want them, but we should want them!
Oh, and also, we wont collect anyone's encyclopedia set to drive them to Colorado where they will be "recycled."
printslicker
4-21-17, 5:30am
We had encyclopedia we no longer used. Good thing the library wanted them otherwise, they'd have ended up in the junkshop.
It seems to me there should be poor, largely bookless communities in other parts of the world that would be happy to have them?
iris lilies
4-21-17, 6:43am
It seems to me there should be poor, largely bookless communities in other parts of the world that would be happy to have them?
Two major problems with that idea, which is:
why do do poor people deserve only outdated information?
cost of shipping vs value not tenable
A hint for getting rid of things:
Here in Colorado and a few other places we have RAFT (resource area for teachers). They will take a lot of things and then package them into science kits or sell in bulk to teachers super cheap. I can fill a cart for $10. They get a lot of promotional items that don't all get used at an event like water bottles or promotional bags. They do get books but I am not sure that they would take that many encyclopedias. The people who work there are amazing at using things in different ways. One guy I still remember made a carefully painted chess set out of champagne corks. Business that went paperless send a lot of old file folders and the tag board is something I buy, of I use the magnets and art postcards for projects from the art museum. So my thought really is making art books out of them. Gluing several pages together, painting over them and then embellishing. Pinterest has some amazing ideas here!
https://www.pinterest.com/explore/old-encyclopedias/?lp=true
Simplemind
4-21-17, 10:59am
Our encyclopedia came from the grocery story. Seems like it was Safeway and a new book would come out once a month. My mom bought them and I read every one cover to cover. I'm that geeky. I loved them and thought it was one of the best purchases she ever made for us. We lived out in the country so getting to the library was a rare thing. I have no idea what happened to them. Maybe there were given to another family with kids after we grew up. Can't imagine having the internet at a kid. My head would have exploded. Oh how times have changed.
DH tore all the pages out and recycled those.
IL.......there's lots of info in there that, even though it's older news, is still interesting. It's history.
I looked up Books for Africa. It costs 50 cents to ship a book there. There is a publication date age limit, which I had not remembered when my elementary school participated in that or a similar program. At the time we we were told old/used books are fine as they are to help people learn English not teach content. Fiction was accepted also.
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