What CDs, DVDs and Games Can I Donate?
The simple test for any disc or game is this: if it’s in its case and someone could play it tomorrow, we’ll take it. Music CDs, film and TV DVDs, Blu-rays and video games are all welcome. Here is what our free doorstep collection for CDs, DVDs and games takes, the few things we can’t, and why.
Music CDs
Albums, singles and box sets.
DVDs and Blu-rays
Films, TV series and box sets.
Video games
Console and computer games.
Audiobooks
Stories and books on CD.
Welcome in your bags and boxes
CDs, DVDs and games we collect
If it’s a disc of music, films or games, the answer is almost always yes. We take:
- Music CDs: albums, singles and compilations
- Film DVDs and Blu-rays
- TV series and box sets
- Children’s films and cartoons
- Educational and fitness DVDs
- Audiobooks on CD
- Console and computer games
- Rare and retro discs
A few things worth knowing:
Keep them in their cases
A disc in its own case, with its cover and booklet, is far more likely to be played again. Check the right disc is in the right box before you pack.
Games of every age
From last year’s releases to games for consoles nobody makes any more. More on donating video games.
Any language, any region
You don’t need to sort out discs in other languages or for players from other countries. We do that by hand at our warehouse.
Books can go in the same collection too, so if you’re clearing a shelf of films and music, you can clear the reading pile with it.
Please leave out
What we can’t take, and why
There are only a few, and each has a reason. We only collect things another person can use, because anything that can’t be reused costs money to get rid of, and that money should be going to charity.
VHS and cassette tapes
Very few homes still have a player for them, so there is almost no one to pass them on to, and the tape inside is hard to recycle.
Instead: ask a friend or relative who still has a player, or check what your local household recycling centre accepts.
Records and record players
Vinyl cracks and warps easily in a bag or a van, and record players are bulky and fragile to move.
Instead: a local record shop or charity shop may be glad of them. A broken record player can go to your household recycling centre with other electricals.
CD and DVD racks
They’re furniture rather than media, and we don’t collect furniture or storage of any kind.
Instead: offer a rack in good condition to a neighbour or a local swap group, or take it to your household recycling centre.
Magazines and comics
They date quickly and there is little demand for them second-hand, so we can’t find new homes for them.
Instead: put them in your paper recycling at home. Waiting rooms and hairdressers sometimes welcome recent magazines.
Board games and jigsaws
Not discs, but people often ask. We can’t check that every piece and card is there, and a game with missing pieces can’t be played.
Instead: a local charity shop, school, nursery or community group may be happy to take complete sets.
The full list of everything we can and can’t collect is on what we collect.
Before you pack up
Is it good enough to donate?
Is it in its case?
Cases protect the disc and make it easy to pass on.
Does it play?
No deep scratches or cracks you know of.
Right disc, right box?
A quick check saves an empty case.
Would you give it to a friend?
If yes, it’s ready to go.
A good rule of thumb: stack your discs upright in a sturdy box or a strong bag, with the cases closed, so nothing slides about or cracks on the way. Discs are heavier than they look, so keep each bag or box to a weight a driver can lift.
Clearing a big collection? Several smaller boxes travel better than one huge one. Packing tips and the day itself are on how to donate your CDs and DVDs.
Scratched or broken?
What about discs that won’t play?
Please don’t put them in the bin. Scratched discs, loose discs and the odd cracked case can still go in with the rest of your donation. Everything goes back to our warehouse to be sorted by hand: the discs that can be played again are passed on, and the ones that can’t are recycled where possible, so the plastic doesn’t go to waste.
Why discs and cases are wasted in the bin is explained on why old CDs and DVDs shouldn’t go in the bin, and you can follow the whole journey on what happens to my CDs and DVDs.
The collection is free, you don’t need to be in, and you choose the charity your donation supports. A large percentage of the proceeds goes to it. Ready to clear the shelf? Book your free collection.
Ready to donate your CDs, DVDs and games?
It’s free, you don’t need to be at home, and you choose the charity your donation supports.