FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas Office for Sustainability is kicking off the Better World Books Drive on Monday, March 2, in conjunction with RecycleMania, a nationwide recycling competition among college campuses to emphasize the importance of recycling and waste management.

The Better World Books Drive will end on Tuesday, March 31.

Better World Books is a service project and fundraiser that collects books and then either resells, recycles, or donates the books to people around the world in hopes of bringing literacy and opportunities to other countries.

“This is a great organization to partner with during RecycleMania, so that students, faculty and community members can recycle their old books,” said Katie Ferran, with the Office for Sustainability.

Better World Books sent cardboard drop boxes to the Office for Sustainability along with return labels and boxes, which will be used to send back the collected items. The drop boxes are located all across campus, including at the Arkansas Union, Brough Commons Dining Hall, the University of Arkansas Bookstore in the Garland Center and the Office for Sustainability. In addition, there is an off-campus book drop at the Global Campus, 2 E. Center St. on the Fayetteville Square.

“The boxes are already set up, and we are going to be going around weekly to check and collect items,” said Ferran.

All types of books – hardback and paperback – can be dropped off, including but not limited to, textbooks, novels, and children’s books.

For those books that are resold via the online Better World Books store, the U of A will receive a percentage of sales, which will in return be used toward other sustainability efforts across campus.

For more information about the Better World Books drive, please contact the Office for Sustainability at sustain@uark.edu or visit http://sustainability.uark.edu/.