To the Editor: I read, with much dismay, Lonny Cain’s column (Aug. 2) about the disposal of AAUW books in a landfill. My dismay, however, is not that AAUW throws away the books, rather that we live in a society where there seem to be no other reasonable options. As a member and past president of this fine organization, I can tell you that we have explored every option for disposing of these books. We have donated them to churches, sent some with missionaries overseas, made arrangements for some to go to Sheridan Prison and even sent some to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. However, we have never had anyone make a permanent offer to take these books at the end of the sale, in part because much of what is left over is not highly desirable. The situation is complicated by not having the time or space to dispose of or store the books. The collection of books takes place over a year’s time, during which we take in thousands of books. They are stored mostly at people’s homes throughout the city, although we do now rent a storage facility, but this means less money for our scholarship recipients. The semi-trailer that picks up and delivers the books is graciously donated every year by Mayflower shipping; it takes all day to pick them up and set them out. Because of time, labor and monetary considerations, it is not possible for us to gather the remaining books. We have looked into recycling the books, but have found this to be too labor intensive, because the recyclers will not accept the books without the front covers removed, a task our small organization cannot undertake. And recycling is not free, which is a sad commentary on our society. However, I would like to point out that AAUW’s contribution to the landfill pales in comparison with that of corporate America’s. I have never been in one restaurant that recycles. Imagine all of the cups, plates, napkins, containers, bags, etc. that end up in a landfill every day. When the new Starbucks opened I asked them why they didn’t recycle and was told that local facilities don’t make available industrial sized recycling containers. The truth of the matter is we as a country place a low priority on recycling. It is a sad truth, but our reality. Until we place an emphasis on recycling and reducing waste, discarded books won’t be our only worry. AMANDA BIGELOW Ottawa