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Originally posted by nrjizer http://www.cdrecyclingcenter.com/ Apparently you can ship them your old CDs and they'll recycle them properly.

Yeah, that's what the place I'm sending mine off to do, but the place I'm using is in the UK not the States... I don't really fancy airmailing a 20kg box across the Atlantic.

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Stu Cox |

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Originally posted by Stu Cox From what I read, it sounded like it depended on the plastic... with CDs they actually extract plastic and aluminium from it, which can't be too easy...?

From the OSTA.org website:

"Just like all kinds of CDs a CD-R disc is a sandwich of a number of layers. First comes a polycarbonate plastic substrate containing a shallow spiral groove extending from the inside to the outside diameter of the disc. On top of this substrate is an organic dye recording layer (cyanine, phthalocyanine or azo) followed by a thin metal reflective layer (gold, silver alloy or silver) and finally an outer protective lacquer coating. Some discs are also topped with additional layers that improve scratch resistance, increase handling durability or provide surfaces suitable for labeling by inkjet or thermal transfer printers."

Stripping those layers has to be a difficult process - I'm not saying don't do it but it would be interesting to know actually how efficient the whole process is, and if it is therefore worthwhile.

There is a good argument raised by RJT about resource conservation, but this issue is usually far better addressed in most situations by thinking in terms of the most efficient use of that product before you use it (i.e. 10 tracks per CD and not 1 or 2).

Anyway, all this means bugger all unless the Chinese get hold of their manufacturing emissions and the US stops their obsession with huge cars.

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Originally posted by Schwab You completely missed the point.

Ok. Entirely possible. All I'm saying is that recycling some cd's really isn't all that green if I'm air conditioning a whole floor of my house that would otherwise be unused, running a couple screens, powered monitors, a power hungry and unnecessary Mac (and laptop next to it), with a host of entirely unnecessary toys to accompany it (amps, additional speakers, tables, synths, controllers, etc.). Recycling a few cd's after that is essentially symbolic and pretty much pissing in the wind. If it makes someone feel better, great. If I really gave a flip, though, I wouldn't have half the crap I do. But those aren't sacrifices we are willing to make, otherwise we wouldn't be on this board.

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Originally posted by Ray_Chappell Ok. Entirely possible. All I'm saying is that recycling some cd's really isn't all that green if I'm air conditioning a whole floor of my house that would otherwise be unused,...

Gotta think globally... to you, trying to recycle/reuse 100s of cds may not be 'thinking green'... but when you take thousands of bedroom djs all throwing 100s of cds away it adds up. Baby steps. As stated above, it's not about revamping your entire lifestyle. It's silly little things here and there that add up to significant saving when considered on a worldwide basis.

You're basically saying, "yea, I could throw a bottle in the recycle bin instead of the trash... but I run my AC, drive my car, thow away other trash, so recycling that bottle must not be 'thinking green.'

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Originally posted by DJ RANN Stripping those layers has to be a difficult process - I'm not saying don't do it but it would be interesting to know actually how efficient the whole process is, and if it is therefore worthwhile.

Well thinking about it it's probably not very different from recycling mixed plastics - different kinds of plastic and obviously metal as well melt at different temperatures, I gather with a lot of stuff they just heat them up to the lowest melting point, pour that off, heat them up a bit more to the next one then pour that off and so on so maybe it isn't actually any harder.

But generally the tougher the plastic the higher the temperature and that all takes energy (which I think is why PET is notoriously good for recycling, cos it can be done at such a low temperature)

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Stu Cox |

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Originally posted by Stu Cox Well thinking about it it's probably not very different from recycling mixed plastics - different kinds of plastic and obviously metal as well melt at different temperatures, I gather with a lot of stuff they just heat them up to the lowest melting point, pour that off, heat them up a bit more to the next one then pour that off and so on so maybe it isn't actually any harder. But generally the tougher the plastic the higher the temperature and that all takes energy (which I think is why PET is notoriously good for recycling, cos it can be done at such a low temperature)

Sounds like fractional distillation to me. Very easy to do.

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quote:

Originally posted by Gen3r4l1ty Gotta think globally... to you, trying to recycle/reuse 100s of cds may not be 'thinking green'... but when you take thousands of bedroom djs all throwing 100s of cds away it adds up. Baby steps. As stated above, it's not about revamping your entire lifestyle. It's silly little things here and there that add up to significant saving when considered on a worldwide basis. You're basically saying, "yea, I could throw a bottle in the recycle bin instead of the trash... but I run my AC, drive my car, thow away other trash, so recycling that bottle must not be 'thinking green.'

I see your point, but I think what I'm really trying to say is that tossing a bottle in the recycle bin while hopping in my 15 mpg SUV and cranking the ac to 60 degrees really isn't thinking green, it's convincing myself that I'm being green while my primary behaviors exhibit the opposite... It's the same thing as green preachers hopping around on private jets and living in 5000 square foot homes convinced they are saving the world - just at a smaller level. I'm not pointing fingers either - I fully acknowledge the waste around me. And I'm fine with it - it's why I work hard and I'm sure the planet will be ok. I just haven't convinced myself that I'm going green by tossing the plastic bottle in the bin. Like I said, to each his own... I'll stop here since I think I'm way off the original topic, and certainly not on the subject of dj'ing.

or you could send your old cd's to fellow ta's. tunes are tunes

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Originally posted by Zild Sounds like fractional distillation to me. Very easy to do.

Yeah pretty much... if I remember my chemistry A Level right, distillation is specifically boiling/evaporating and subsequent condensation of liquids to separate by boiling point, rather than melting of solids to separate by melting point.

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Stu Cox |

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Originally posted by Omega_Blue or you could send your old cd's to fellow ta's. tunes are tunes

Yeah we talked about this, but if I'm hanging onto a copy on my computer (as I am, although admittedly there are probably quite a few tracks I wouldn't miss too much) it'd be a little bit illegal to send the CD copies out to other people. I don't really think the RIAA would accept "but I was trying to save the planet!" as a valid excuse.

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Stu Cox |

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Originally posted by Ray_Chappell I agree that clubbing and such is about excess - as are most things I do. Do I really need a Mac Pro with two midi controllers, an electric guitar, a synth, a couple fans to keep it cool, and 4 lights in the studio running right now while I browse TA? Nada.

The key difference is that those things are usually sold or given away to another user, rather than just discarded, because they can still serve a practical purpose to someone even after you're done with them.

CDRs cannot really be re-used in this sense, and thus they are usually discarded once they have outlived their purpose.

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