by: Jennifer Leslie
ATLANTA -- Green metal bins are popping up in parking lots across metro Atlanta to encourage people to donate books and "do good."
The company behind the bins, Better World Books, takes the books, sells them online at a deep discount and donates a portion of the sales price to literacy programs around the world.
"Why a book would ever end up in a landfill is beyond me," said David Murphy, President and CEO of Better World Books. "We get a chance to reuse the book at a great cost saving to the person who's gonna buy it."
The company was started eight years ago by three Notre Dame grads who collected and sold used textbooks to support literacy programs.
The company has grown over the years but stayed true to its mission.
"To date, we've raised over $8 million in cash for nonprofit literacy partners and donated about 2 1/2 million books," Murphy said.
BetterWorldBooks.com carries eight million titles, new and used books, some up to 80 or 90 percent off list price, with free shipping.
The company donates money from the sales price and gives away books that don't sell to nonprofits, like Books for Africa and the National Center for Family Literacy.
The company gets used books from 1600 college campuses and 950 library partners.
It recently added 120 donation bins in metro Atlanta and Northern Indiana.
"These bins are an opportunity for people to unload their books from garages, apartments, basements, attics," Murphy said. "Think of Better World Books like you would think of Goodwill or the Salvation Army. It's a great place to put your books, and we guarantee they're gonna be put to a great use."
from: 11alive.com
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