Thursday, April 18, 2013

Throwing away your CDs or DVDs?

What happens when a CD or DVD gets ruined or out dated?  Do you throw it in the garbage? Do you recycle it along with your everyday recyclable items?  I wanted to share a few facts, ideas, and solutions to this dilemma.

Billions of CDs and DVDs are made weekly and every month 10,000 pounds of CDs become obsolete  useless, or unwanted.  There is not a lot of uses for disk when they are no longer used besides throwing them in the garbage or throwing in your curbside recycling bins, which do not get recycled and end up in the landfills anyway.  CDs and DVDs are a #7 plastic and if not processed correctly increase waste, harm the environment, and cause us to use more natural resources for the ever demanding supply of more.

Picture provided by CD Recycle Center of America
What happens when a CD or DVD is recycled properly.
The disks are ground down to a gravel like powder that is then used in many ways, including CD and DVD cases, automotive industry parts, office equipment's, alarm boxes and panels, electrical cable insulation, and more.
You can see how recycling can help cut back on natural resources used like oil.

What if you no longer need or use a good Disk?
You can trade with friends, donate to your school or library, donate movies to local shelter, or trade in game and movie stores.  There are lots of options that can give your no longer wanted disk a new life.

What if your disk has some scratches or skipping?
Revive you disk with a mild abrasive like toothpaste.  On the non label side of disk lightly rub toothpaste in a circular motion from the center out.  This is great for minor scratches.

For those that are seriously scratched, either use in recycle project or send to a CD and DVD recycling center.  
You can start a school project!  Make a set location for students, families, and teacher to bring in their unwanted and used CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, and HDs.  You can then mail in to the CD Recycling Center of America.  If you have a small amount you can just mail or ship your disk to a location closest to you.

There are many fun ways you can help save the planet and our natural resources.  Simple steps to recycle and reuse can help.  I am not going to stop using CDs and DVDs, I am too connected to the modern error, but I can do my part by no longer throwing away these reusable items.

Help us today, start a recycling CD and DVD project at you School, Library, Church, and/or Community. 

14 comments:

  1. I didn't think to recycle old CD's and their cases! Thanks for sharing!!

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  2. I love the toothpaste idea, I would've thought that would scratch them more!

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  3. This is very interesting! I had never heard of this before and sadly I am one of the people that just throws them away normally :( Thank you for this information will for sure be putting it to use! Great post!!!!!

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  4. I never throw them away. I just keep them on my shelf. I wonder why. Maybe I think they'll get repaired magically. haha. Wishful thinking!

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  5. I had no idea you could do that! I have a ton that are hanging around...no good, but just hanging around lol

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  6. Awesome Post to help the environment because everyone has old cd's!!! I did not know I could clean them with toothpaste! Too bad I didnt know this 12 years ago LOL

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  7. I never think to recycle these! But yeah, I can totally see how it would help environment! Thanks for bringing this to light. :)

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  8. We take them to a used media store when we go on vacation and get something new to listen to. Great ideas!

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  9. I usually use peanut butter to repair scratched CDs because it's less abrasive than toothpaste. I didn't know you could recycle CDs!

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  10. Great ideas. Thanks so much for sharing!

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  11. I would have never thought to recycle a CD or DVD and I have thrown them away :/
    I wont now!

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  12. Great ideas!!! We really need to clean ours out and get rid of a few!

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  13. I used to try and craft with them. I never heard of the toothpaste trick! Must try! Thanks!!!

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