Recycling Options Available for Outdated Discs

According to the U.S. EPA, more than 5.5 million boxes of software end up in landfills and incinerators each year. That's not counting unwanted music CDs that also find their way into the landfills.

For a long time, the available options for disposing of discs were limited. Sure, there are a variety of craft projects you can create with wasted CDs but, seriously, how many coasters does anyone need? (For a list of CD-related family crafts, check out About.Com.)

Luckily for distributors and consumers alike, the proliferation of optical media has lead to more environmentally friendly options for disc disposal:

• There are a growing number of companies that collect outdated or unsold CDs or DVDs to recycle the components. The amount of reclaimable material in a disc is relatively small. For this reason, companies that recycle them do not pay for your old discs. In fact, the consumer pays shipping to these facilities. The best option is to try to find a disc recycling company in your area to keep costs down. Some such businesses include:

1. CD Recycling Center of America, Salem, NH
2. GreenDisk, Sammamish, WA

• Many waste management companies, recycling plants and electronics stores will hold special electronic recycling days when they will accept optical discs as well as old computers and computer accessories. For a list of local resources, check out the National Recycling Coalition Web site.
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  Don't forget to find ways to reuse those old discs. Our favorite idea is the CD clock from a company called Acorn Studios. It reuses old discs and it's pretty cool looking. Those in the disc printing/duplicating business may also consider creating CD clocks for their customers as a holiday gift.

Of course, the best way to reduce disc waste is to reduce wasted discs. One way to do this is to purchase quality discs from a quality distributor. Remember, if the disc doesn't work, it really wasn't less expensive.