“Recycle” books you no longer need by donating them at the Zoo. We have partnered with the International Book Project to help literacy efforts across the globe.

All donated books must be in excellent condition.

Please do not donate books that have

• Cracked or broken bindings
• Water damage
• Mold, mildew, or a strong musty odor
• Torn or missing pages
• Yellowed pages
• Excessive underlining, highlighting, or writing
• Evidence of pests (cobwebs, insect shells, droppings)

Accepted Books

• Children’s books (picture books, chapter books, young adult)
• Textbooks for all grades
• Medical textbooks (including academic journals) published after 2000
• Vocational books (plumbing, carpentry, etc.)
• Popular fiction and nonfiction books for adults
• Reference books (dictionaries and thesauri) published after 2010
• Books in Spanish

Not Accepted Items

• Encyclopedias of any kind
• Religious/evangelical or political books
• Reader’s Digest condensed books
• Magazines of any kind
• Diaries or journals (books that are meant to be written in)
• Self-help books
• Cookbooks published prior to 2015
• Gardening books
• Travel books published prior to 2020
  CDs, DVDs, or books on tape

Recycling Weekends

Join us weekends in April to learn how recycling programs help our planet. Organizations and programs that help benefit the air, water, land, and of course, animals, will be featured each weekend.

Party for the Planet:
A Monthlong Celebration of the Earth