A New Spin on Disc Disposal: How to recycle your CDs and DVDs
2024 marked a record year for music purchases- the best since 2001! Vinyl sales grew massively in popularity by 10.5% to £196 million, outpacing CD revenue which remained flat at £126.2m.
Meanwhile, digital streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Disney+, Amazon Prime and Netflix are continually growing in popularity and dominating the market, making physical formats like CDs and DVDs increasingly obsolete.
In our increasingly digital world, CDs and DVDs are becoming relics of the past. Many of us can still recall installing software from discs, but today, they mostly sit unused in drawers or boxes. Perhaps CD’s and DVDs are becoming the modern-day floppy disk? Which poses the question, what is the most responsible way to spin this media into something new?
Why should you recycle your old CDs and DVDs?
Whether it’s the first album we ever purchased, or a DVD of that family holiday from 2001 that you’ve since had digitised, we’re all guilty of stock-piling old discs we no longer need. But did you know that recycling 1 tonne of discs saves 2.5 tonnes of CO2?
That is the equivalent to:
- Driving over 6,000 miles in an average petrol car
- Charging more than 300,000 smartphones
CDs and DVDs are primarily made of polycarbonate plastic and aluminium which are both materials that do not biodegrade and can sit in landfill for centuries.
However, by recycling your old stock, you help to:
- Reduce landfill waste
- Prevent harmful emissions from improper disposal
- Protect our ecosystems from toxic chemicals
- Support the circular economy through reusable plastic feedstock
Benefits of CD and DVD recycling
Our CD and DVD recycling service provides a low-cost, high-impact solution with environmental, social and operational value.
Key benefits:
- Zero to Landfill commitment
- Bulk collection service
- Closed-loop recycling for circular economy support
- Positive social value generation
- Secure, compliant and fully traceable (includes Waste Transfer Notes in compliance with UK regulations)
How recycling supports social value
By recycling your media, you directly support Reconomy’s Social Enterprise to help deliver meaningful social change.
Reconomy’s Social Enterprise, launched in 2021, is a call to action, inviting customers and suppliers to support social and circular economy goals through a network of social enterprises and charities.
Ways we can deliver meaningful social change:
- Rehabilitation workshops in UK prisons
- Opportunities for inmates to earn a wage, develop transferable skills and build a work ethic
- Support for reintegration and employability upon release
Recycling CDs and DVDs might seem like a small step, but it’s part of a larger movement toward responsible e-waste management and helping to build a more sustainable world.
Contact our team today to find out more about our CD and DVD recycling service! Email us on biservice@reconomyconnect.com or call 01952292000.