Last updated: November 2026
You can donate books in good condition at Lifeline's book depots in northern Sydney, at Vinnies, Salvos Stores and Red Cross shops, or in a Street Library near you. Charities turn away books that are mouldy, torn, yellowed or written in, so sort the pile first.
Book donation facts, checked November 2026
- Street Library Australia's map lists 6,537 Street Libraries.
- Lifeline Harbour to Hawkesbury's GIANT Book Fair runs from 11 to 13 December 2026 at the Rosewood Centre, Barker College, Hornsby, with over 90,000 books for sale.
- Australians give more than a million tonnes of clothing and goods to charity and social enterprise shops in 12 months, according to Charitable Reuse Australia (figures undated, checked November 2026).
- On average that's worth $961 million a year to those charities' programs (Charitable Reuse Australia, figures undated, checked November 2026).
Where to drop off books in Sydney
Most charity shops take books along with clothes and homewares. One charity in northern Sydney works differently and runs drop-off points just for books.
Lifeline Harbour to Hawkesbury book depots
The charity can't accept donations at its book shops, so use one of these drop-off points instead. Sales help fund its crisis support and suicide prevention services.
- West Lindfield Book Depot, corner of Polding and Ignatius Roads. Open Monday to Thursday, 9am to 3pm.
- Hornsby Book Depot, 1/51 Leighton Place. Open Monday to Thursday, 9:30am to 1:30pm.
- Gordon Book Shed, 4 Park Avenue, in the car park off Pearson Avenue. Open 24/7.
Questions go to (02) 8287 1175. The Gordon shed is the one to use after hours, but if it's full, come back another time rather than leave a bag beside it.
Vinnies
You can hand books over at your local Vinnies shop during business hours, or use a Vinnies donation bin in your community.
Salvos Stores
Salvos Stores accept almost everything, as long as it's clean and dry. The store finder on the Salvos Stores website lets you pick a store by the item types it accepts, which saves a wasted trip. Drop-offs are during trading hours.
Red Cross shops
Australian Red Cross lists books, CDs, DVDs and games among the donations its stores take. Hand them over the counter at any Red Cross shop during trading hours, or use the marked charity bins some stores have.
The Bower, Inner West
The Bower's boutique at 7 Prospect Rd, Summer Hill takes donated books and records. Its original store at the Addison Road Community Centre in Marrickville sells second-hand books among the bric-a-brac.
Using a book donation bin
Read the label first. Not every donation bin belongs to a charity, and Charitable Reuse Australia says fewer than 65% of Australia's 10,000 donation bins are charitable (figures undated, checked November 2026), so look for a charity's name before anything goes in. If your books don't fit, take them to an op shop during opening hours or ask the charity about a pick-up.
Libraries, schools and book swaps
City of Sydney Library
The City of Sydney Library only accepts two kinds of donation, which rules out most bookshelves. One is local history items, which have to be relevant to the library's history collection. The other is books in seven community languages, in new condition or published less than 2 years ago:
- Chinese
- Indonesian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Russian
- Thai
- Vietnamese
If you've got one of those, take it to your nearest branch. Novels and general non-fiction belong with the charities above. The library itself also points people to government and non-government schools, so a local school is worth a call if you've got children's books or recent textbooks.
Pyrmont Community Book Exchange
The City of Sydney's community-run Book Exchange at Pyrmont Community Centre, on the corner of John and Mount Streets, runs until 24 December 2026. It's a swap shelf. You can leave books in good condition and take one or two home for free. Reception staff check every donation, and it only takes paperbacks, apart from children's hardbacks. The genres it wants are fiction, biographies, autobiographies and children's books.
Street Libraries
Street Libraries are the little book boxes people put up in their front yards for the neighbours to share. Street Library Australia's advice is to leave a few books at a time and not overload it. Its headquarters can't take large quantities. A carload needs a different plan. The map at streetlibrary.org.au shows the ones near you.
Books charities turn away
Charitable Reuse Australia's test is a simple one: would you give it to a friend, or buy it yourself? The Harbour to Hawkesbury depots publish the most detailed list of what they won't take, so it's a good one to sort against. They only want high-quality donations.
- Yellowed, mouldy, torn or dirty books
- Books that have been written in, or have pages stuck together
- Reader's Digest condensed books
- Adult encyclopaedias, however new they are
- Magazines, even National Geographic
- Leftovers from other organisations' book sales, fetes or fundraisers
Rejects cost charities money. Red Cross has to pay to dispose of anything it can't sell, and the book depots have the same problem.
How to donate a big collection
Pack books in small boxes or bags. Volunteers do the lifting at the other end, so keep each one light enough to carry easily, and label it. Hardbacks are heavier than they look. If you'd rather a charity came to you, plan ahead: Charitable Reuse Australia suggests booking a home collection at least two weeks in advance.
Books nobody will take
Lifeline's advice for books that don't make the grade is to put them in the recycling. If some of them might be worth money, our guide to getting rid of old books covers selling and swapping them.
Clearing a deceased estate or a whole house, with shelves of books that are past donating? Paul can take the lot, bookcases included, and where it makes sense, the books nobody wants are recycled. Book before midday and Paul can usually collect the same day. Get a free quote through house clearance in Sydney or call 0407 125 125.
