Where Do Donated CDs, DVDs and Games Go?
Once you’ve booked a free CD, DVD and games collection and the van pulls away from your door, your discs start a journey that, for most of them, ends with someone else playing them. We bring them back to our warehouse, sort them by hand, and pass on what can be used again. Here is what happens, stage by stage.
- Sorted by hand
- Most played again
- Unplayable discs recycled
The journey
From your doorstep to someone’s shelf
Collected from your doorstep
You leave your bags or boxes out by 7am on your collection day. You don’t need to be in. Our driver picks them up along with everything else on the round.
At the end of the day, the van comes back to our warehouse and the day’s donations are unloaded together. Nothing is sold straight off the van. Every bag goes through the same checks first.
Sorted by hand
Every bag is opened and every case is checked by hand. Our team looks at each disc to see whether it’s scratched or cracked, whether it matches its case, and whether it will play here in the UK.
Then the discs are sorted by type: music CDs, film DVDs, box sets, and console and computer games. Discs that can’t be played again are set aside at this stage. You can read what happens to them in stage 4.
Passed on to be played again
Most of the discs we collect are rehomed. They go on to new owners who can enjoy films, music and games for much less than buying them new. Some are given to charities, schools and community centres that need them.
Some discs are especially sought after:
- Children’s films
- Educational films
- Video game discs
- Rare and retro discs
If you have old console games you no longer play, see how to donate video games. Who your discs go on to help is on who do my CDs and DVDs help?
The discs that can’t be played again
Some discs can’t go to a new owner. They are not thrown away. Instead, we recycle them. That includes discs that are:
- Damaged
- In another language
- In a playback format that doesn’t work in the UK
- Restricted content, or unsuitable for UK viewing (BBFC)
- Surplus stock
CDs and DVDs are mostly made of three materials that can be recycled: polycarbonate plastic in the disc, polystyrene plastic in the case, and a thin layer of aluminium. Recycled polycarbonate can become car lights, dashboards and the casings of laptops and phones. Recycled polystyrene is used in protective packaging and insulation boards. Recycled aluminium can become drinks cans, car parts and window frames.
Checking the list of what CDs, DVDs and games we can take before you pack helps here. The more of each bag that can be played again, the more it raises.
The money goes to charity
The discs we pass on pay for the collection, the sorting and the transport. A large percentage of the proceeds goes to the charity you chose when you booked.
Why this journey matters. Every disc played again is one that didn’t need to be made new, and didn’t end up in a bin. Our own estimate is that every kilo of discs and games reused instead of made new saves around 2 kg of CO2e. You can see roughly what your clear-out could save with our green calculator, and read more on how donating CDs and DVDs helps the planet.
The bigger picture
What it all means for the environment
With so many of us now streaming films and music, plenty of discs sit unused at home gathering dust. They don’t need to go in the bin. Most of them can have a new owner.
Plastic that lasts
Discs and cases are mostly plastic and are not biodegradable. In landfill, they can release harmful chemicals into the soil and groundwater. More on why old CDs and DVDs shouldn’t go in the bin.
Less made new
A film, album or game played again is one less copy that needs to be made. Discs that can’t be played are recycled, so their materials go into something new.
Good for people too
Second-hand discs cost much less than new ones, so more people can enjoy them. The work of collecting and sorting them also helps create jobs locally.
You can give your discs and games, along with books, clothes and other household items, in one collection. Find out how to donate your CDs and DVDs step by step, or book a free doorstep collection and choose the charity your donation supports.
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.