Recycling Old CDs: Three Easy Solutions
Submitted by
Mrs_Fire
In the '90s and the early 2000s, we all loved building up collections of compact discs. Little did we know that just a few years later, they'd amount to little more than giant piles of junk.
In these days of in-car iPod hookups, digital downloads, satellite radio and online streaming, CDs are just a relic. (And if you don't think they're obsolete, ask at your local record store. Oh wait—it went out of business. ...)
So what should we do with that mountain of plastic?
Unfortunately, CDs are made of #7 plastic, a form that can't simply be tossed in your recycling bin or taken to your local recycling center. But there's no need to automatically add them to the millions of pounds of landfill generated every year—here are three eco-friendly methods of reusing or recycling CDs:
Try Selling Them If you aren't the garage sale type, check to see if your city has a used record shop, which might buy your old CD collection for a few cents per disc. Also try billboard sites like Craigslist.org. Remember, those Milli Vanilli albums aren't old ... they're "vintage"! Try Donating Them Goodwill and thrift stores sell CDs, DVDs, old VHS tapes, and other obsolete media. They'll even take that old VCR or laserdisc player collecting dust under your bed! Sometimes daycare facilities also take donated CDs for kids to use as art projects. Try Recycling Them If you can't find a facility that does computer or electronic waste recycling, there are a few companies that specialize in recycling old CDs. Check out CD Recycling Central, Back Thru the Future Technology Disposal and CD Recycling Center of America, all of which allow you to send them old CDs for recycling. You'll be required to pay for the postage yourself, but if you use the post office's Media Mail rate, it's very affordable. And considering that CDs are estimated to take a million years to decompose in a landfill, the energy and resources you'll save make it a very small price to pay.
In these days of in-car iPod hookups, digital downloads, satellite radio and online streaming, CDs are just a relic. (And if you don't think they're obsolete, ask at your local record store. Oh wait—it went out of business. ...)
So what should we do with that mountain of plastic?
Unfortunately, CDs are made of #7 plastic, a form that can't simply be tossed in your recycling bin or taken to your local recycling center. But there's no need to automatically add them to the millions of pounds of landfill generated every year—here are three eco-friendly methods of reusing or recycling CDs:
Try Selling Them If you aren't the garage sale type, check to see if your city has a used record shop, which might buy your old CD collection for a few cents per disc. Also try billboard sites like Craigslist.org. Remember, those Milli Vanilli albums aren't old ... they're "vintage"! Try Donating Them Goodwill and thrift stores sell CDs, DVDs, old VHS tapes, and other obsolete media. They'll even take that old VCR or laserdisc player collecting dust under your bed! Sometimes daycare facilities also take donated CDs for kids to use as art projects. Try Recycling Them If you can't find a facility that does computer or electronic waste recycling, there are a few companies that specialize in recycling old CDs. Check out CD Recycling Central, Back Thru the Future Technology Disposal and CD Recycling Center of America, all of which allow you to send them old CDs for recycling. You'll be required to pay for the postage yourself, but if you use the post office's Media Mail rate, it's very affordable. And considering that CDs are estimated to take a million years to decompose in a landfill, the energy and resources you'll save make it a very small price to pay.
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