What To Do With Old CDs – UK Recycling Options

If you are downsizing your CD collection, you may well be wondering what to do with old CDs. They can’t go in your home recycling bin, but there are lots of sustainable options in the UK, whether you are looking to donate, sell, or pass on. And if you have any broken ones, then there are specialist recyclers that can take them off your hands.

Between the two of us, my partner and I have quite the CD collection from our teen years and our twenties, before streaming services became mainstream.

The problem for former collectors, like ourselves, is what to do with old CDs when you no longer want them. After all, what was once music to your ears might now be cluttering up your home.

If you’re looking to recycle your CDs or pass them on responsibly, then I’ve got some eco-friendly ideas for you:

Can CDs Be Recycled At Home In The UK?

First up, don’t put them in your plastic recycling bin. Currently, CDs cannot be recycled at home in the UK. Although they might look like simple pieces of plastic, CDs are actually made up of several tightly bonded layers of mixed materials.

The main body is formed from polycarbonate plastic, which is then coated with a very thin layer of aluminium to reflect the laser in a CD player. On top of that sits a layer of lacquer to protect the metal, along with printed inks and dyes for the label side.

Because these materials are fused together so closely, recycling facilities can’t easily separate them into individual recyclable components. So, for most organisations, it’s uneconomical to separate their component parts for recycling.

How To Responsibly Dispose Of Old CDs

Thankfully, there are some eco-friendly ways to recycle your old discs in the UK:

Sell To CD Buying Sites

One of the easiest ways to pass on your music collection is to use a site that specialises in buying old discs for cash.

UK sites that buy old CDs include:

• Music Magpie
• Zapper
• World Of Books (despite the name, they do buy your old CDs)

It’s never been easier to use one of these sites. Most allow you to download a free app, which you can then use to scan the barcode of each CD case. The app will then immediately tell you the price you’ll get for each CD – in most cases a few pence – which you can accept or decline. Once done, finalise your order and box them up, ready for collection.

Do note, though, that the price displayed when you finalise the order may not be the amount you receive in the bank. Each CD is checked over, and if any are found to be scratched or damaged, then these are rejected. This means that you won’t be paid for that particular disc. And, due to the costs involved, rejected CDs can’t be returned to you.

Don’t expect every CD to be accepted. Sites will often reject your CD because they have lots of a particular title in stock. Others have a minimum value of £5 that you need to reach – a surprisingly difficult amount to reach if some CDs are selling for a few pence.

So far, I have only used Music Magpie when I’ve been sustainably decluttering. My experience is that you aren’t going to get rich selling your old collection – we are talking pennies per disc for chart toppers (although I did find more obscure indie bands tended to command a higher price). However, it is an easy way to pass on your CDs whilst putting a little bit of money in your pocket at the same time.

What Happens Next?

Wondering what happens next when you use one of these sites? Well, these sites then try to sell your CDs for a profit.

For those CDs that these sites can’t sell, it’s a mixed bag. Some sites, like Music Magpie and World of Books, are quite opaque about what happens to those discs they cannot sell. I can’t find any information on what either of these sites does with discs it can’t sell, or that are too damaged to sell.

Other sites offer a recycling guarantee. Zapper, for instance, has a recycling feature that you can switch on or off. If you turn it on, Zapper will give you a recycling guarantee that means, if your CDs are not sold, they will be properly recycled. I haven’t yet been able to work out if you are offered a lower price if you select the recycling option.

Sell Old CDs Online

Whilst bulk-selling sites are good for passing on large volumes of CDs, if you have the time and patience, you could try selling your discs on an online selling site. Potentially, you can make more money that way.

Some UK options include:

• Discogs
• eBay
• Amazon Marketplace
• Facebook Marketplace
• Gumtree

Pros & Cons Of Each Site

Different sites have different strengths and weaknesses:

Discogs is geared towards music collectors. So if you believe you have something rare or valuable, this could be a good site to try. It’s not a place for more common CDs – for example, that copy of Celine Dion’s Greatest Hits that you’ve got hiding in your collection. However, that rare CD from an obscure 1990s shoegaze band could net you a pretty penny. Discogs takes a 9% fee – charged on both the item price(s) and shipping costs – so this is something to factor in.

In the case of eBay, you have access to a global market that is focused on getting the lowest price for what they want. Whilst in the past you had to pay to sell items, eBay has removed any seller’s fees for private sellers in the UK. You can list up to 300 items free per month – go above that, and you’ll have to pay 35p per listing.

In the case of Amazon, you have access to a huge audience. However, you do have to sign up to be a seller. This costs £25 per month (excluding VAT) and doesn’t include selling fees you may incur. Unless you have a lot of CDs to sell and are confident you can cover these costs, it may not be the most economical place to sell your old CDs.

Other sites like Facebook and Gumtree let you list for free. However, you are limiting your audience to your local area, as these sites focus on people picking up the items from you, rather than posting them out.

Give Them Away For Free

If you don’t care about getting money for your old CD collection and just want to pass them on, then it might be easiest to give them away for free.

Buy Nothing and Freecycle are both sites that aim to avoid sending valuable items to landfill. On each site, you can list items for free, for free pickup. You can also use Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree.

I’d recommend boxing up your CDs and offering them in bulk, rather than listing each individually. It’s probably the quickest and easiest option to pass them on.

There are lots of reasons why people might want to take your old CD collection. People might want to listen to your old collection. They might have the patience to try to sell your old CDs. Or they might want to upcycle your old CDs for crafting projects or for making bird scarers for their garden.

Donate To Your Local Charity Shop

Although CDs may not be the most popular way to listen to music, there is still a market for CDs. Older cars often still have CD players, collectors enjoy browsing second-hand music, and some people simply prefer owning albums outright rather than relying on streaming subscriptions.

As such, some charity shops still accept donations of CDs in good condition. And who knows, that old Spice Girls CD single of yours might just be the one to complete a local fan’s collection!

Before you turn up with a large box of CDs, do phone ahead. Some shops may not have space for CDs or may not be accepting them for donation at the moment – particularly if someone else has recently offloaded their old collection.

Some charity shops, such as Oxfam, have several specialist music shops across the UK. If you have one of these shops locally, then they may be more amenable to taking boxes of CDs off your hands.

Sell Or Part-Exchange At Your Local Record Shop

Record shops may have diminished in number over the years, but that doesn’t mean you should count them out. If you have one locally, then many allow you to sell or part exchange your old discs.

Record shops tend to be quite discerning over what CDs they take. These shops know their customers very well, so specific artists or specific albums that they don’t think will sell may well be rejected. CD singles tend to be rejected as well, as the market for these is smaller.

However, they can be a great way to pass on some of the rare titles in your collection, whilst putting a bit of cash in your pocket.

CD Recycling For Broken CDs

When you’re combing through your old CDs, you might come across some that are broken or badly scratched. These can’t be sold, can’t be recycled at home, and are a little more tricky to pass on. In this instance, you may want to use a CD recycling organisation.

There used to be quite a few CD recycling organisations around, but most of these seem to have closed down.

The only one I have found in the UK is Darlington-based Recycladisc – part of Express Polymers. This business can recycle both the CDs and cases, turning them into new materials. There’s no fee to pay, but you do have to pay postage for your discs.

Alternatively, TerraCycle can take your old CDs and cases for recycling. It is quite expensive, so this is likely to be a very last resort, if you can afford it.

Can CD Cases Be Recycled?

Standard plastic CD jewel cases are usually made from injection-moulded clear polystyrene, which most UK councils do not accept in kerbside recycling collections. However, both Recycladisc and TerraCycle can recycle the cases as well, so if you are using one of these services, make sure you send the cases alongside the discs.

More Ways To Recycle Tricky Items

I’m all about finding ways to recycle those hard-to-recycle items, so I’ve got heaps of other guides to help you declutter sustainably. In particular, if you are looking to pass on media items, I’ve got these handy guides for you:

• For VHS tapes, try my guide on what to do with old videotapes.
• And for records, see my guide on what to do with vinyl records.