What to do with old DVDs and CDs

Once there was vinyl and now there are vinyl collectors. But DVDs and CDs aren’t old days stuff for special collectors. There are still DVD and CD releases, but some of us just don’t want them either because we no longer have the players, because streaming companies made it so easy for us to watch movies or listen to music everywhere for a monthly fee or simply because we don’t want more stuff in our apartments.

Some of us would even like to get rid of that old CD collection from the 90s, but how can we do it? Are they recyclable?

There are special waste spots for this kind of material?

What kind of material is a DVD or CD made of, by the way?

CDs are made of materials like polycarbonate plastic and aluminum and although this are highly recyclable materials (they are considered a class 7 recyclable plastic), they are not accepted in the normal recycle bins. You can learn more here .

Meanwhile, what can you do to recycle old DVDs and CDs? You can donate them to a second-hand store or music reseller – maybe even a DJ. You can also donate to small village associations or charity institutions. You can make a creative DIY project (or several). Click here for some ideas.

If you just want to get rid of them, there are recycling centers for CDs and DVDs everywhere around the world. If you live in the USA, for example, you can contact the CD Recycling Center of America here, whereas if you live in Portugal you can contact Chronopost through Quercus here.

Whatever is your choice for disposing CDs and DVDs, please just don’t toss these in the common trash bins because they will end up in a landfill decomposing. They’ll release Bisphenol A (BPA) into the soil during the process and this industrial chemical is harmful for every living creature. Besides, they take approximately 1 million years to decompose. The plastic cases are even worse because they are produced from polyvinylchloride (PVC) which is a human carcinogen.

Choose wisely what to do with that old music and films.