Flintridge Preparatory School junior Felix Fey set about to fix a problem. During his time as president of the Glendale Central Library Teen Advisory Board, Fey learned that libraries across the country often discard their weeded books into recycling dumpsters because they have no reliable, affordable way to dispose of them. And many can’t accept donations from patrons looking to unload their used books. Meanwhile, charities and organizations need book donations but most only accept certain types and nobody has time to make separate drop-offs all over Los Angeles. So books wind up in recycling bins and landfills — or they sit in people’s closets.

“I wanted to create a one-stop drop-off,” Fey said. “You bring us your books, we sort and box them, and they get delivered to the organizations that need them. A book rescue.” 

Fey launched the Book Rescue Project on April 4 at the Glendale Earth Day Fair at Verdugo Park, collecting more than 1,080 books and media items — nearly 1,000 pounds of material. Donations began arriving before the fair had even officially opened and the tables were overflowing within an hour. California Assemblymember Nick Schultz and Glendale City Councilmember Dan Brotman were both in attendance.

The collected items are currently being sorted for delivery to four literacy-focused organizations Fey partnered with: Access Books, Re-Book It (run by The Last Bookstore), Children’s Book Recycling Center and LA County Books for Jails.

Fey said he also learned that thrift stores and donation centers aren’t always a great answer to the problem of recycling books – they often receive far more books than they can sell and the extras can wind up in recycling bins or landfills. 

“Recycling bins don’t totally solve the problem either … binding glue, coatings and mixed materials in hardcovers can contaminate the recycling process, sometimes sending entire loads to landfills,” he added.

Fey, who now serves as a student commissioner on the Glendale Sustainability Commission, said the launch was just the beginning. Throughout the day, residents asked when he would be doing this again and out-of-town visitors wanted to know if he could bring a book rescue to their area. He would suggest people host their own. 

“They all said, ‘I’d love to do this — but how?’” Fey said. “That’s when I realized there’s a bigger need than just [in] Glendale.”

Fey has built a website at bookrescueproject.org with that includes a starter guide so that students, Scout troops, libraries and community groups anywhere can host their own book rescue events. 

“This really is something anybody can do,” he said. “The books are out there, and so are the people who need them.”