Erasing CD-R and DVD±R

[Nintendo]

Wonder when Helen is coming back to check the options out on this thread?

 

[HelenF]

I'm reading it. Would still rather have an erasing option. I could buy iHAS324 for £16.40, but don't have a suitable computer to put it in (SATA Windows desktop). Trying to get an answer out of Lite-On about the USB drives.

I'm not sure what is needed to recycle old discs. Are they just melted down, or do they still need to be disc shaped? I don't think my council takes old cds.

There are various private recyclers, all with their own rules. Some don't want to take shreddings because they might be contaminated with different materials.

 

[Nintendo]

Good luck and whatever you decide. Please...Just make sure that you do it in a responsible manner.


Ok for the environment. We have to think about our planet Earth.

 

[levi]

I'd be interested to hear more about how these things are recycled to be honest.  A standard mass produced CD consists of mostly polycarbonate, a tiny sliver of aluminium, and a little laquer.  Recordable discs and double-layer DVDs (I think) add a layer of photosensitive dye to this mix.  Sometimes you find that the energy required to separate these parts costs more than you can get from selling the recovered plastics etc, and it may even be that the energy needed is more than the energy needed to make a new DVD from scratch.  Depending on your metric, it's not always best to recycle automatically.

 

[HelenF]

CDs and DVDs have uniform high-quality plastic which recycles well, and some contain a little gold. Like most plastic, they last almost forever in landfill and are toxic when incinerated.

Previously, there were several private companies in the UK where you could mail CDs for recycling, or they would collect for free if you had at least half a tonne, so the discs must be worth a little. These services seem to have disappeared now though. Maybe there aren't enough CDs around to be worth it any more.

The council recycling centre in Crawley takes CDs and have recycled over 15 tonnes. They send them to the "Polymer Recycling" company. It's not specified who pays who.

http://crawley.gov.uk/pw/web/int180135

http://www.discrecycling.co.uk/is primarily focussed on secure destruction services for businesses, but they recycle afterwards. They have a bit of info about it.