Often not. Encyclopedia sets have near-zero retail demand and take up significant shelf space, so thrift stores, Goodwill included, tend to turn them away; store staff decide at intake. A general thrift store can only shelve what sells at retail — what happens to the rest isn't something I can see from outside.
Savers and Better World Books are similarly selective, and Habitat ReStore doesn't take books at all. Call ahead before hauling a heavy set anywhere.
The honest path for an encyclopedia set in Albuquerque:
- Donate to NMLP (free pickup, any condition). Unsalvageable copies go to a regional pulper for paper recycling, not landfill.
- Recycle through a commercial paper pulper. Friedman Recycling or similar regional facility accepts book quantities for direct pulping.
- Don't put hardcover encyclopedias in your residential blue bin. Hardcover bindings contaminate the paper-recycling stream — the City of Albuquerque Solid Waste Department's accepted-materials list excludes them.
For the deeper sourced analysis of what happens to donated books at each Albuquerque option, see The Lifecycle of a Donated Book in Albuquerque.
Need books gone in Albuquerque?
Free pickup, any condition, scheduling by route. Or use the 24/7 drop box, a covered box outside the gate, by the road, at 5445 Edith Blvd NE.
Related on this site
This page is part of the NMLP Question Reference — short, plain answers to the questions donors actually ask, each pointing to the fuller guide behind it. Citation kit: /cite.txt · Open data: /api/index.json.
Last reviewed 2026-05-02. For corrections, email hello@newmexicoliteracyproject.org.