A friend of mine has a bookshop, and has recently come into a very
large quantity of ex-library books, most of which are unsaleable and
of no interest whatever. He wondered what I thought of his idea of
getting a wood-burning stove and burning them for fuel. I was a bit
unsure about this, due to the difficulty of burning books - they tend
just to char round the edges. I suspect a high temperature would be
required (clearly at least 451 Fahrenheit ;-) ). Anyone have any views
on the feasibility?

Before you judge me a complete Philistine, I work in a library, and
find the idea of book-burning as reprehensible as anyone. However, I
also appreciate the problem of disposing of unwanted books that nobody
wants...

Regards
Richard

geraldthehamster wrote:
A friend of mine has a bookshop, and has recently come into a very
large quantity of ex-library books, most of which are unsaleable and
of no interest whatever. He wondered what I thought of his idea of
getting a wood-burning stove and burning them for fuel. I was a bit
unsure about this, due to the difficulty of burning books - they tend
just to char round the edges. I suspect a high temperature would be
required (clearly at least 451 Fahrenheit ;-) ). Anyone have any views
on the feasibility?

Before you judge me a complete Philistine, I work in a library, and
find the idea of book-burning as reprehensible as anyone. However, I
also appreciate the problem of disposing of unwanted books that nobody
wants...

Rip off the covers and briquette?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Briquette-Re.../dp/B000OOCMB2

geraldthehamster wrote:
A friend of mine has a bookshop, and has recently come into a very
large quantity of ex-library books, most of which are unsaleable and
of no interest whatever. He wondered what I thought of his idea of
getting a wood-burning stove and burning them for fuel. I was a bit
unsure about this, due to the difficulty of burning books - they tend
just to char round the edges. I suspect a high temperature would be
required (clearly at least 451 Fahrenheit ;-) ). Anyone have any views
on the feasibility?

Before you judge me a complete Philistine, I work in a library, and
find the idea of book-burning as reprehensible as anyone. However, I
also appreciate the problem of disposing of unwanted books that nobody
wants...

Regards
Richard

Some of the second hand book vendors that work with Amazon buy books by
the container load... are your books fiction or non fiction?

On 20 Mar, 23:31, James Salisbury
wrote:
geraldthehamster wrote:

Some of the second hand book vendors that work with Amazon buy books by
the container load... are your books fiction or non fiction?- Hide quoted text -

Mostly heavy old non-fiction. We thought we might have to use some
light fiction as kindling.

He's stuffed all the Oxfam book banks. I told him he probably wasn't
doing them any favours, but book dealers don't like Oxfam, apparently.

Regards
Richard

geraldthehamster wrote:
On 20 Mar, 23:31, James Salisbury
wrote:
geraldthehamster wrote:

Some of the second hand book vendors that work with Amazon buy books by
the container load... are your books fiction or non fiction?- Hide quoted text -

Mostly heavy old non-fiction. We thought we might have to use some
light fiction as kindling.

He's stuffed all the Oxfam book banks. I told him he probably wasn't
doing them any favours, but book dealers don't like Oxfam, apparently.

Regards
Richard

See if http://www.powells.com/ want them.

On 20 Mar, 23:30, "Clot" wrote:
geraldthehamster wrote:

Rip off the covers and briquette?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Briquette-Re...ko-mania-E-M10...

Thanks for that, I'll remember those things when I get my own
woodburner.

I think he just wants to burn them as they are, covers and all with a
minimum of pre-processing. Will a woodburner generate and contain
enough heat, is the question? Could he use any old burner or would he
need something specific, or is it a daft idea?

Regards
Richard

geraldthehamster wrote:
On 20 Mar, 23:30, "Clot" wrote:
geraldthehamster wrote:

Rip off the covers and briquette?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Briquette-Re...ko-mania-E-M10...

Thanks for that, I'll remember those things when I get my own
woodburner.

I think he just wants to burn them as they are, covers and all with a
minimum of pre-processing. Will a woodburner generate and contain
enough heat, is the question? Could he use any old burner or would he
need something specific, or is it a daft idea?


Burning them as they are could be an issue! He runs a business and as I
understand it, you cannot do that! Environmental regulations regarding watse
disposal. It could quite legitimately be construed to be commercial waste
and the EA could pounce with serious costs.

If he anticipates a regular delivery of such matter, then wo(ul)od make
sense to use for heating purposes!

An independent business such as this, I suspect,has time to strip the covers
and briquette for their own heating purposes. Used in a furnace or fire for
heating purposes - and I stress that- would not be construed as waste
disposal.

On 21 Mar, 00:46, "Clot" wrote:

Burning them as they are could be an issue! He runs a business and as I
understand it, you cannot do that! Environmental regulations regarding watse
disposal. It could quite legitimately be construed to be commercial waste
and the EA could pounce with serious costs.

Nothing as formal as that - this is for domestic purposes and they
haven't really come into the business in any commercial sense.

Interesting discussion, but I note that nobody seems to know the
answer to my question ;-) I guess it could just be a case of suck it
and see. It's just one of his mad ideas that he fancies, probably
wrongly, will save him a small (but significant in Yorkshire) amount
of money.

Regards
Richard

"geraldthehamster" wrote in message
...
A friend of mine has a bookshop, and has recently come into a very
large quantity of ex-library books, most of which are unsaleable and
of no interest whatever. He wondered what I thought of his idea of
getting a wood-burning stove and burning them for fuel. I was a bit
unsure about this, due to the difficulty of burning books - they tend
just to char round the edges. I suspect a high temperature would be
required (clearly at least 451 Fahrenheit ;-) ). Anyone have any views
on the feasibility?

Before you judge me a complete Philistine, I work in a library, and
find the idea of book-burning as reprehensible as anyone. However, I
also appreciate the problem of disposing of unwanted books that nobody
wants...

I would first check whether a recycling company will pay for books.

Colin Bignell

geraldthehamster wrote:
On 21 Mar, 00:46, "Clot" wrote:

Burning them as they are could be an issue! He runs a business and as I
understand it, you cannot do that! Environmental regulations regarding watse
disposal. It could quite legitimately be construed to be commercial waste
and the EA could pounce with serious costs.

Nothing as formal as that - this is for domestic purposes and they
haven't really come into the business in any commercial sense.

Interesting discussion, but I note that nobody seems to know the
answer to my question ;-) I guess it could just be a case of suck it
and see. It's just one of his mad ideas that he fancies, probably
wrongly, will save him a small (but significant in Yorkshire) amount
of money.

Regards
Richard

If your library is anything like ours, there is a policy of buying in
pulp fiction and making feeble attempts to promote it. Not a single
Dickens on the fiction shelves last time I looked. He now comes under
"non-fiction" sub-section "literature"

geraldthehamster wrote:
On 21 Mar, 00:46, "Clot" wrote:

Burning them as they are could be an issue! He runs a business and as I
understand it, you cannot do that! Environmental regulations regarding watse
disposal. It could quite legitimately be construed to be commercial waste
and the EA could pounce with serious costs.

Nothing as formal as that - this is for domestic purposes and they
haven't really come into the business in any commercial sense.

Interesting discussion, but I note that nobody seems to know the
answer to my question ;-) I guess it could just be a case of suck it
and see. It's just one of his mad ideas that he fancies, probably
wrongly, will save him a small (but significant in Yorkshire) amount
of money.

Regards
Richard

Strangely, burning books is quite difficult. You have to keep stirring
them with a poker to separate the pages, or they just smoulder and
blacken. It does produce a lot of ash, but the upside is that it also
produces a lot of heat once burning. I burn cardboard and paper on my
woodburner. I reason it's better than burning oil to make the same
amount of heat. Unless recycled (and how much truly is?)rotting
generates unwanted gases.

Peter Scott

Clot says...
Burning them as they are could be an issue! He runs a business and as I
understand it, you cannot do that! Environmental regulations regarding watse
disposal. It could quite legitimately be construed to be commercial waste
and the EA could pounce with serious costs.


Would they throw the book at him? :-)
--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted.

geraldthehamster wrote:
On 20 Mar, 23:30, "Clot" wrote:
geraldthehamster wrote:

Rip off the covers and briquette?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Briquette-Re...ko-mania-E-M10...

Thanks for that, I'll remember those things when I get my own
woodburner.

I know someone who tried one - used it once, threw in back of garage. Very
time-consuming to make bathfuls of papier-mache...

On 21 Mar, 18:51, "Steve Walker" wrote:

I know someone who tried one - used it once, threw in back of garage. Very
time-consuming to make bathfuls of papier-mache...

Not in comparison to the even longer time needed to deal with "logs"
of papier mache and the interminable period needed to dry them.