Reusing books to save paper and money
Education costs are probably one of the biggest challenges faced by parents around the world. Using secondhand books in good condition or giving away your books to another student could save you and them some money. And so I started doing this.
I have been participating in a book exchange fair conducted at the Sharjah Worship Centre for the past three years and ever since, have never purchased a new school textbook. It helps my parents save about Dh500Dh1,000 at the start of the school term.
This would make a difference for families that have more than two children in the family attending school.
At the fair, you can give away the books you have and take the ones you need, absolutely free. Volunteers sort the books, making it easy for people to choose what they want.
I collect books from children in my building, sort the ones in good condition by grade and donate to this fair. Additionally, my books are handed down two generations at my school, until they are worn out.
As for the used notebooks, I tear out empty pages and spiral bind them together to reuse. This stops them from ending up in the landfill. Additionally, the novels can be donated to libraries and charity schools.
We can experience the joy of being able to give back to the community by recycling, in addition to saving on cost.
■ The reader is a pupil based in Sharjah. Be a community reporter. Tell us what is happening in your community. Send us your videos and pictures at readers@gulfnews.com