It takes 1 million years for a CD to completely decompose in a landfill. As they decompose, Etech waste releases toxic chemicals and, when burnt they release toxic fumes. Most electronic recycling programs do not accept CDs or other electronic media, but there are options available for disposal of electronic media. Most have a cost, but will help keep toxic chemicals out of our environment.
Electronic media recyclers all require you to package the items and send them in. Often they also require that you pay for shipping. DeCluttr is a company that buys CDs, DVDs, games and other electronic media for resale. Green Disk has different options available depending on how much you want to send in for recycling. and they do take VHS and audio tapes. If you don’t have enough to fill a box, consider sharing costs with friends or neighbors or starting a community collection. Best Buy stores accept some electronic media for recycling – check with your local store for details.
The best option is reduce the amount of electronic media that you have to dispose of later. Consider using digital or streaming entertainment. The next time you go to a big box store, observe all the racks of movies, music, and gaming materials displayed. These will all be landfilled unless we find an alternative.
