How to: Get Rid of Old CDs

By Travis Hill

Oh, Coolio. Oooh, Britney Spears. Oooooh, Now That’s What I Call Music Vol. 8.

What the hell were we thinking?

Once you get a good laugh over why you bought that Kelly Clarkson CD, now you face another problem: What the hell am I going to do with all these old CDs? That is a much more pressing question than, Why did I think Green Day rocked?

Fortunately, we all have the same shame-pile of compact skeletons.
And here is a comprehensive list of suggestions:

STRAIGHT CASH, HOMEY
If you can bear the ignominy of having someone else look at your _ CDs, you can bring your stash to the good people at Music Matters.

According to K.C., Music Matters will give between $1-3 for the used CDs they want to buy from you.

“It used to be between $3-5,” he said. “But the used CD market is so saturated now, that’s all we can give.”
But if you need weekend cocktail money, all they can give could
be plenty.

THE RESPONSIBLE ROUTE
Like the Backstreet Boys reunion, CDs are not good for the environment. Don’t be a jerk and just throw them all away. Thanks to the Interwebs, there are plenty of options you have if you want to recycle your discs or even put them to use for a good cause.

• Discsfordogs.org: This good-hearted group takes all your old CDs (and even reimburses you for shipping) and sells them for $1 in their Western New York storefront. They then take 100 percent of the sales and donate it to their local SPCA.
• SmilePlastics: This British group of goodness attempts to take recyclables and create new products out of them. Check out the “materials in use” section of their site to see all of the cool stuff they have made. We especially like the guitar and the sink. smile-plastics.co.uk
• Alternative Community Training: A noble non-profit that takes CDs, videotapes and even floppy disks and employs mentally-challenged adults to refurbish and/or recycle them. actrecycling.org/donations/howtodonate.asp
• RecyclingCDs.com: Desperately need a clock made out of a CD? Then this is your spot. They will also accept donations of your old discs.
• Greendisk.com: This company doesn’t just take CDs, it accepts all of your technotrash and properly recycles it.

SO CRAFTY
Finally, there is the creative route. This is the best way for those with the need to be artistic, and who just can’t say goodbye to The Cranberries.

• Disco ball: Buy a few pairs of scissors you’ll never use again, some non-toxic glue and a big foam ball from Michaels and start cutting. Chop your CDs into 1-inch squares, glue them to the ball and prepare to rock the party.
• Light switch cover: It’s a fairly easy project. Just unscrew your current light switch cover and trace where the screw holes are on your Bette Midler CD. Drill the holes into the CD, then re-drill it into place. Viola, Bette
never dies.
• Scarecrow: This is a very popular one with the gardeners. Apparently, very non-scientific research shows that the reflections from the CDs scare the hell out of birds.
• Pooper scooper: Pretty self-
explanatory.
• Hiking/Boating aide: Responsible folk have started to take CDs with them on hikes and water outings, because CDs are light, easy-to-carry reflectors of the sun, and if you are in trouble out there, apparently Justin Timberlake can even pull airplanes.
• A mobile: If you want to subliminally expose your infant to Eastern European folk music, you can always take your CDs, wire them with twine and make a mobile out of them. Shiny colors. Ukuleles.
• Eye patch: Um, we’re totally reaching now.
• Drinking game: Take your laundry basket, trash cans and three or four big bowls. Randomly place them around your yard, and assign each a point value. Then pull out your Michael Jackson box set, hand out discs and Frisbee golf it. When someone lands one, they assign whoever they want that amount of drinks. Don’t stop til ya get enough!