Recycle Used CDs
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about recycling and repurposing odds and ends that can’t go into our recycling bins. The latest target in our house? CDs.
Thanks to our decision to go digital, we don’t buy a lot of CDs or DVDs. But when we do run into them, we’ve always tossed them. I suspect you do the same, right?
Not now. Here’s what I’ve dug up on going green with those old disks cluttering your house:
Turn CDs into a craft project
Curlby and Make-Stuff have both compiled a slew of different projects from disco balls like the one below to clocks and driveway reflectors.
Great for kids, RePlayGround has simple ideas for making sun catchers that I know the volunteers at day camp would have been all over if CDs were actually floating around when we were kids.
Mail them to Recycling Centers
Mail CDs, DVDs, and cases to the CD Recycling Center for a $2.00 donation. They melt the disks down and reuse ‘em in automotive and building material industries. They’ll accept hundreds of the things, so you can clean out that office and be doing the happy dance.
Wanna chip in on any ideas you have for recycling or repurposing CDs? I’ll be honest; it wasn’t something I had thought about before. So spill what you know.
As you probably know if you’ve stuck around us, we’re always looking for more recycling topics (Like remember what we found about recycling contacts and glasses? And then there ways to recycle our old shoes. Good times.). So if you’re dying to know about how to recycle, say, just about anything but a tasty chocolate bar, let me know. Chances are, more of us will want to be recycling it, too.
Ahh heck, and if you are thinking of redistributing any chocolate bars, I know just the place to send them (email me here!).
May 13th, 2009 at 4:05 am
Two thumbs up, Katie! I had no idea there was a recycle place for the things. I”m in the process of going digital, so far I’ve off loaded 300 cds to other people – collectors of music; I have only 150 or so left and they’re my faves.
May 13th, 2009 at 5:16 am
we usually sell our cd’s back to a used cd store (and then buy “new” used cd’s to listen to with the $$ we got from the old ones!). we also just purged a lot of our burned cd’s and sold them in a lot in our garage sale to one very happy customer. Pretty good find for a spindle full of music for $2!
May 13th, 2009 at 5:43 am
sadly, most of our cd’s (and we have A LOT) are my husband’s and he refuses to part with them.
May 13th, 2009 at 6:25 am
I love the disco ball! This would be great for a 70′s party!
May 13th, 2009 at 7:01 am
I guess we’re in the stone age because we still use cds everywhere -family room, baby room, our room, our cars, etc! But if we switch, I’ll keep your fab eco-friendly ideas in mind!
Desert pictures, por favor!
May 13th, 2009 at 11:22 am
I´m very excited about this post- these are just the sort of projects I am looking for as I “go digital” as well. Thank you for the great information.
I love your expats guide to Germany as well :)
May 13th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Use ‘em as coasters for your drinks!
May 14th, 2009 at 12:40 am
I’m passing an award to you!
Please visit my website to grab it. :)
Happy Thursday, Katie!!
May 16th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
I wonder if CDs will become valuable to collectors some day, and therefore, worth holding in the interim. For most people, it’s probably not worth the clutter that CDs cause, but owning a CD collection might become like owning a record collection. For this reason, I find it worthwhile to hold onto my CDs. Then again, I’m a pack rat. For those pack rats out there, I suggest storing CDs in a clutter room or a clutter closet!
If people want to avoid clutter altogether, either doing a craft project or selling CDs back to the store seems like the way to go. I’m not sure about mailing a box of CDs across the country — just think of all of the gasoline we’d have to burn to get those CDs recycled!
May 18th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
I still use my CDs and am finding that I’m using them more than ever now that my new car doesn’t have a cassette player to support my iPod. (And I haven’t had any time yet to find a more permanent solution.)
As for unsolicited CDs I receive (like the ones from ISPs) those have now become coasters in my office and bedroom. :-)
May 20th, 2009 at 11:55 am
What a great idea!
Very good!
June 9th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I didn’t know about that CD/DVD recycling center – that’s great!
May 30th, 2010 at 7:59 am
If they are music CDs, you can donate them to your local Goodwill, etc. :)
July 16th, 2011 at 9:59 am
I love this disco ball idea, I may try to make some gazing balls for my garden : )