CD recycling is the process of recycling old CD's and reprocess them into new materials

recycling one CD/DVD could save 10 cubic feet of natural gas, 1/60 quarts of crude oil, 4/5 gallons of water, enough energy to heat 1/10,000 homes for a year, a 19/10,200,000 bedroom house for an entire year, over 5/426,742,532 cars for a year, 703/10,200,000 power strips, and enough oil to run the average car for 1/16 miles or circle the globe almost 896 times, 19/3 btu’s of energy, a 125 cubic meter lake from being polluted, over 703/5,100,000 pounds of co2 a year, 25/8 pounds of green house gases, 19/30,600,000 pounds of mercury a year, 1,145/257,472 tons of waste, 1/60 acres of soil from being polluted, 229/5,364 kwh of energy, 229/6,795 pounds of coal, 229/108,720 metric tons of limestone, 5,725/1,737,936 cubic yards of landfill space, 229/80,000 gallons of gasoline, 229/187,740 metric tons of toxic lead, 12¢ in water

Facts About CDs and DVDs Edit

There are three main components to consider when recycling CDs and DVDs as each is made of different materials. Some are more easily recycled than others, but all can be put to new use.

Cover and Liner NotesEdit

Generally, cover and liner notes are made from paper and are relatively easy to recycle.

DiscsEdit

CDs and DVDs are made of similar materials and contain three main components:

1. plastic,
2. metals and
3. ink.

Discs are made mostly from polycarbonate, although a small amount of lacquer is also used as a protective coating. Aluminum in the primary metal in discs, but traces of gold, silver and nickel are also present. The dyes used in printing on the disc itself contain some petroleum products, but when it comes to recycling, only metal and plastic are processed.

Jewel Cases Edit

While some CD and DVD cases are now made of paper or biodegradable products, most are still made with plastic #6, a cheap, but hard-to-recycle, material. Of the three components of CD and DVD packaging, jewel cases are generally the most difficult to recycle, but there are some options.

Tips on Recycling CDs and DVDs Edit

Whether you’ve decided to go digital or are simply ready to acknowledge that you just aren’t into MC Hammer anymore, there are many ways to keep your CDs and DVDs out of landfills. Before recycling, try giving away your used discs or selling them to interested buyers at the local music store or on Web sites such as eBay or Craigslist.

If your discs are in terrible condition, or if they’re just not selling, you may need to recycle your items. Here’s how:

Cover and Liner Notes: Generally, these paper products can be recycled through any municipal program that accepts paper. If you have one at home, these items can go right in with your mixed paper.

Discs and Jewel Cases: Edit

• Discs are considered plastic #7, a catch-all category for many different kinds of products. They are not generally accepted in most community recycling programs.
• Jewel cases are plastic #6 and pose a similar recycling conundrum.

Both of these products can be disposed of, at a minimal cost, at special facilities. It is important to remember that while most of these facilities guarantee the destruction of your discs, you can also shred any discs that contain sensitive information before sending. While there are not many companies that recycle discs, some accept jewel cases, allowing for “one-stop-shop” when you ship your goods.

Two excellent resources for disc disposal are Back Thru the Future and the CD Recycling Center of America. While you pay the shipping costs, there is no recycling fee at either of these organizations. Remember to use the U.S. Postal Service’s “media rate” for the best prices. Both sites contain information on how to ship your discs and cases, and the CD Recycling Center will even provide containers for a small fee.

GreenDisk is another excellent resource for recycling discs and cases. Although the company charges a small fee for its services, it also accepts a much broader array of materials, such as phones, cords, stereo and video equipment, printer cartridges and monitors. So, if you have a whole stack of “technotrash” waiting alongside those discs, GreenDisk may be a good option.

The Recycling Process Edit

• The polycarbonate and metals in the discs themselves are separated and reused, often as automotive or construction materials. GreenDisk is also working with innovative technology that allows old CDs and DVDs to be recycled into new ones.
• Jewel cases are also reused, though polystyrene downcycles quickly. As a result, recycled plastic from cases is used as an additive to new plastics rather than to make new products on its own. Regardless of its problematic structure, polystyrene is better placed in new products than in a landfill.