Recycling CDs - where ?

JWatson_2

I have a lot of old software on CD - just wondered if anyone knew whether these can be recycled and where ?

My local tip (Oxfordshire) couldn't help.

Thanks

laurel7172

Offer them on freegle as bird scarers?

garrydh

Changeworks has a guide called Too Good To Waste which is mainly Edinburgh focused but offers the address of a company which it claims will recycle CDs. Details can be found at:

http://changeworks.interactive.co.uk/cgi-bin-tgtw/scrap/body/section18?outline=tgtw_main

But I've never actually done it so you might want to e-mail them and check they're still willing to take them.

foxgloves

Someone with an allotment might be glad of them. We string ours up between two canes over our veg plot and the shimmering reflection from them seems to stop birds eating our peas. Have also used them as row markers/labels for the veg plot, we just write on in thick marker pen what's growing there & stick them in the ground. They look unusual & prettty nice all sticking up & holographic amongst the greenery.

Peter_Pan

How about checking your local church, playgroup and school in case they could use them for any activities they may be doing.

pinkclouds

This newspaper article is slightly out of date now: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/apr/06/ethicalliving.waste

I emailed the recycling company, Polymer Recycling Ltd, at the time and they said they would be happy to take any shipments of cds/dvds for recycling - from anyone including both individuals and organisations. You could scratch the disk surfaces (for data security) if you wanted to but they prefer the disks to be unbroken (presumably for health and safety) and they would also recycle whatever card/plastic sleeves/cases the disks were in.

Obviously, it's not really worth the postage costs (which you have to pay yourself) if it's just a couple of old cds but if you have whole boxes of them (and can't think of anything else to do with them e.g. drinks coasters, bird scarers, etc) then this might be a good option for you - particularly if you want/need the data destroyed. I can't comment on the service because I never got round to sending them anything but their email was very polite and prompt! (I seem to lose my cds to the same creature that eats matching socks, so I never have enough to worry about. lol)

JimmyTheWig

I'd second the nursery/pre-school suggestion and the freegle/freecycle suggestion.

mmoyra

yeah kids love making clocks out of them !

JimmyTheWig

ianhepworth wrote: »

how about instead of recycling them, give them to the charity shop.. then at least someone is going to get some use from them?

I would imagine that they're worthless - old operating systems, etc.
Otherwise, yes, obviously reuse is better than recycle.

Ben84

Any paper inserts or card sleeves you can probably recycle at home, while empty plastic cases should be fairly easy to freecycle or give away to somewhere that sells second hand CDs as they often get good disks in bad cases that need replacing. I usually give unwanted cases from CDs/DVDs to a charity store in the city. The remaining CDs will be much smaller to post for recycling, or landfill if that's not possible.

As for free software on magazines, I did email a few publishers suggesting they put the files on the internet and printed a code to download them in the magazines. So many people never use the disk, or just use it once, that it seems a big waste of resources to make thousands of them. Surely it would save them money to deliver the files over the telephone wire, and they'd only deliver the ones people wanted too. They would also get a much better picture of what people are really using too. If more people suggest this they might start listening.

As for at home, I bought a box of DVDR disks that seem to be reusable many times, but found that lending people disks didn't work, they generally forget to return them as CDs are seen as disposable items. Buying a big cheap stack of single use CDs/DVDs would work fine, but then filling up the world with plastic isn't ideal either. Memory sticks however always seem to come back, so I bought some cheap smallish ones and share files on them.

bigpaws23

There is a company called, funnily enough, recyclingcds . com (not sure if you're allowed to put links in?) Which make cds into clocks. They'll be happy for your donations.