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storage and archiving. By the mid-1990s, DVDs made their appearance and—while initially
a vehicle for movies—soon found use with computers.
However, like other fantastic developments—including the automobile, computer, and
cellular phone—there is an environmental downside to the CD’s presence. The big seller for
CDs and DVDs is their size. These things were designed to be small. The real problem
concerns recycling. If we all just had a few CDs or DVDs, it wouldn’t be such a big issue.
However, when you consider that Americans dump an average of 45 tons of CDs and DVDs
each year, you can see the environmental problem (Worldwatch Institute, 2008).
According to the Worldwatch Institute:
• In 2000, more than 700 compact disc factories were operating worldwide.
• In 1983, when CDs were first introduced in the United States, 800,000 discs were
sold. By 1990, this number had grown to close to 1 billion.
• The European market for music CDs has expanded rapidly, with almost 2.9 billion
compact discs produced in Western Europe in 1998.
• Each month, more than 45 tons of CDs become obsolete—outdated, useless, or
unwanted.
• Each year, more than 55 million boxes of software go to landfills and incinerators,
and people throw away millions of music CDs. PART III

Bad News
There’s good news and bad news in the world of CD and DVD disposal. Being the optimists
we are, let’s get the bad news out of the way.
CDs and DVDs are made from different kinds of lacquers, aluminum, and sometimes
gold. Most of their composition is made up by polycarbonate plastic, which doesn’t readily
break down and will be around for hundreds of years.
Further, sending CDs and DVDs to a landfill is a bad idea, because in addition to being
around for a long time, they can release Bisphenol A. Burning discs is another poor choice,
because they release toxic fumes.

Good News
There is good news. Many recyclers accept CDs and DVDs. The components can be recycled
into everything from automobile parts to office equipment.
Recycling is available, but it’s not as easy as putting your organization’s CDs and DVDs
out with the glass bottles. Specialized recyclers will take the discs to reclaim the high-
quality plastic. Some CDs and DVDs contain 20 milligrams of gold, which is another
commodity that can be rescued.
The use of these recyclers is usually free, but you have to pay to ship your CDs and
DVDs to them. The security of your data cannot be guaranteed, so your best bet is to cut the
CDs and DVDs in half with a pair of shears before releasing them from your custody.

NOTE Recyclers don’t care in what condition the CDs arrive. They’re just going to shred them
anyway, so don’t bother with packing material. Also, be sure to send in physically damaged discs
as well.