Clearing out CDs and DVDs? Commercial discs that still work may interest a buyer, donation recipient, or someone you know.
Copy any files you want from recordable discs and protect sensitive data before letting them go.
For the rest, ask a specialty recycler about acceptance or your local waste department about trash. Don’t assume discs belong in curbside recycling.
Don’t snap discs, cut them with household scissors, or sand them.
Sort Your Collection First
- Commercial music, films, games, or software: Check their resale, trade, library, school, or charity value. Ask before you donate them.
- Personal photos or home video: Copy the files you want to keep and verify the copy before disposal.
- Recordable discs with private data: Choose an optical-media destruction method that matches the sensitivity of your information.
- Blank, damaged, or common discs: Look for a specialty optical-media recycler, then follow local trash rules if you can’t find one.
- Cases and paper inserts: Separate them only when your local program accepts that type of plastic case or paper.
Sell, Donate, or Give Away Usable Discs
Keep discs in their cases and check that they play.
Libraries, schools, hospitals, thrift stores, and charities each set their own media policies.
Some places no longer take discs, and donated software may have license restrictions.
Ask first, and don’t leave boxes outside.
For a large collection, separate titles people want from home recordings, promotional discs, and damaged copies.
Ask a reseller which titles it buys.
Copy Files You Want to Keep
Don’t count on optical discs as permanent storage.
The National Archives warns that optical media can become damaged and unreadable over time.
Copy your files to maintained storage, open several copied files, and keep a backup before you let the disc go.
Hold the disc by its outer edge and center hole while you copy it.
If it needs cleaning, use a soft lint-free cloth and wipe straight from the center to the edge, rather than around the circle.
Protect Sensitive Data
NIST calls secure data removal “media sanitization,” meaning you make stored information impractical to retrieve or reconstruct.
Choose a method that matches how sensitive your data is.
A music CD needs less protection than a disc holding tax records, medical files, client information, or a company backup.
For ordinary personal data, use a service that destroys optical media or an optical-disc shredder, following its instructions.
Don’t use a paper-only shredder because it can jam or eject sharp pieces.
For business, legal, regulated, or highly sensitive records, follow your organization’s retention and destruction policy and choose a service that documents destruction.
Indiana Archives advises you to use a reputable vendor for confidential optical media.
It also calls optical discs poor long-term storage, so move your records before destroying the discs.
Find a Specialty Recycling Program
Search your waste authority’s directory for “CD,” “DVD,” “optical media,” or “rigid plastic.”
Ask whether the program takes discs, cases, inserts, and recordable media, plus any fee or mail-in requirement.
Don’t put discs in your curbside bin unless the program specifically lists them.
These recycling rules vary widely by location.
In Chatham County, North Carolina, you must put CDs and DVDs in household trash because its electronics program doesn’t take them.
Your area may offer a specialty collection program instead.
Follow the instructions in your local waste directory.
If Trash Is the Local Route
Put non-sensitive discs in household trash only when your local authority allows it.
Contain any loose or damaged pieces so they don’t cut you or a waste worker.
Before trashing a disc with sensitive data, use a destruction method that matches its sensitivity.
Don’t burn discs.
Don’t use broken disc pieces for jewelry or children’s crafts.
If your collection includes tapes or computer drives, use our guides to VHS tapes and hard drives.