Are CD DVD Cases Recyclable? A Practical Guide to Plastic Types

To recycle CD and DVD cases is possible in theory, because most are molded from polystyrene (#6) or polypropylene (#5), two plastics that reclaimers can repelletize. The catch is that curbside programs rarely take them, since #6 plastic is excluded by a majority of municipal recycling systems. The answer hinges on the resin code stamped on the underside of the case and on the rules where you live.

This walkthrough covers how to spot the right plastic type, which cases actually clear curbside rules, and what to do with the rest.

The Recycling Symbol Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story

Flip a CD jewel case over and you will almost always see the chasing-arrows triangle, the universal stamp that signals recyclable plastic. Roughly 2.5 billion CDs and DVDs are discarded in the US each year, and most cases carry that same stamp on the way to landfill. The symbol describes the material, not a promise that a local hauler wants it.

Curbside programs sort by resin code, not by the presence of a symbol, so a stamped case can be accepted in one city and rejected in another. Programs run sorting equipment calibrated to the plastics their end buyers actually purchase, and #6 polystyrene rarely makes that list. That gap between symbol and system is the foundation for making the right disposal choice, and it sets up the next step: figuring out which plastic you are actually holding.

Identifying the Plastic Resin Code on Your Cases

Every CD and DVD case carries a small number inside the recycling triangle, and that number decides everything downstream. Most CD jewel cases are molded from #6 polystyrene (PS), while many DVD cases use #5 polypropylene (PP). A smaller share of older or budget DVD cases are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC, #3), a plastic with no widely accepted curbside stream.

Reading the Triangle Stamped on the Back

Turn the case so the spine faces you, then look at the bottom corner of the back cover. You will find a small triangle with a number from 1 to 7. The number tells you the resin family, and the resin family tells you which recyclers will accept the case.

Quick Visual and Feel Cues by Plastic Type

Resin Code	Plastic	Common In	How It Looks and Feels
#5	Polypropylene (PP)	Many DVD keep cases, some Amaray-style cases	Slightly flexible, glossier finish, snaps shut with a softer click
#6	Polystyrene (PS)	Standard CD jewel cases, some DVD cases	Rigid, often cloudier, brittle at the hinge, breaks with a sharper snap
#3 (unmarked or rare)	Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)	Older DVD keep cases, some budget reissues	Denser weight, yellows with age, often feels waxy

PVC cases tend to feel denser than the other two and may yellow noticeably with age, especially along the spine. They are the most likely to be refused by every option beyond specialty mail-in programs. Sony DADC and other disc replicators have used polypropylene for decades because of its clarity and hinge life, which is why so many DVD cases carry the #5 stamp.

Knowing the resin matters most when you actually have to sort, so here’s where the real decision-making begins.

“The resin code, not the product itself, dictates where a case can go. Identifying it correctly is the most consequential part of the process.

Sorting Cases for Curbside, Drop-Off, or Mail-In Recycling

Once you know what you are holding, sorting gets fast. A short pass on the kitchen counter separates cases into piles the local program will accept, the ones a drop-off can handle, and the ones that need a mail-in partner.

What to Pull Off Before Any Recycling Attempt

• ▸Paper inserts and booklets: Mixed paper recycling, kept separate from the plastic shell.
• ▸Tray liners and cardboard back cards: Same stream as booklets and other mixed paper.
• ▸Shrink wrap and security stickers: Trash, since they melt at different temperatures than the case plastic.
• ▸Adhesive labels and price tags: Peel or trim them off to avoid contaminating the bale.
• ▸Disc remnants: Optical discs are polycarbonate and follow a separate electronics path.

What Curbside Programs Typically Accept

#5 polypropylene cases clear curbside rules in a slightly larger share of municipal systems, though still not universally. #6 polystyrene cases face the steepest rejection rates from curbside programs, and many haulers route them straight to landfill even when other rigid plastics are accepted. Earth911’s database lets you enter your ZIP code and material type to confirm what your hauler actually wants, which beats guessing.

Why You Should Not Crack Cases to “Break Them Down”

Cracking cases to nest them actually works against the sorting process. Optical sorters and human sorters recognize intact shapes more reliably than fragments, so a cracked case can confuse the equipment and contaminate an entire bale. Stack them whole, leave the hinges attached, and let the reclaimer do the shredding later.

Keeping the cases intact also matters if you’d rather skip the curbside cart entirely.

Retailer and Mail-In Programs That Accept Cases

When curbside is a dead end, retailer drop-offs and mail-in services pick up the slack. Most of these accept the whole case regardless of resin code, which removes the need to separate by plastic type.

Free In-Store Drop-Off Options

• ▸Best Buy: Accepts CDs, DVDs, jewel cases, and the discs inside them at the customer service desk, free of charge, routed through their in-store electronics and media recycling stream.
• ▸Staples: Has historically accepted mixed media and small electronics, though policies vary by location and season.
• ▸Local libraries and thrift stores: Some accept working cases with discs for resale or donation.

Mail-In Programs for Larger Collections

CD Recycling Center, GreenDisk, and the Preserve Gimme 5 program each accept cases by mail, often with a prepaid label option for full boxes. These programs are the practical answer for rural readers with no nearby drop-off, and the right call for anyone with a stack of two hundred cases and no car trip to justify.

Earth911 lets you filter by material and ZIP code, and ISRI’s member directory lists regional plastics brokers that sometimes accept drop-offs of clean #5 and #6 scrap plastic in bagged quantities.

Those programs still have limits on quantity and condition, which pushes some collectors toward creative second lives for their cases.

“Comparing effort: a single trip to a retailer is the lowest-effort option, batched mail-in is best for large collections, and upcycling fully sidesteps the recycling system altogether.

Reuse and Upcycling When Recycling Isn’t Practical

Recycling is a fallback, not the first choice. Reuse keeps a case out of the truck entirely and skips the energy cost of shredding and re-pelletizing plastic, which is the highest-impact reason to favor reuse when a case is still functional.

Upcycling Projects Worth the Time

• ▸Photo frames: Pop the tray out, slide a 4×6 print in place of the disc, and the case becomes a tabletop frame.
• ▸Seed-starting mini greenhouses: The clamshell design holds humidity, perfect for starting herbs on a sunny windowsill.
• ▸Gift boxes: A clean case with a printed insert makes a sturdy presentation for jewelry or small electronics.
• ▸Desk organizers: Stack three cases vertically for a tiered paper tray, or use one open case to corral USB cables and SD cards.
• ▸Protective sleeves: Wrap small electronics, cables, or craft supplies for storage or shipping.

Donation as a Reuse Path

Bulk handling matters once you pass a few dozen cases. Unsorted lots can go to thrift stores, school art programs, community theater groups, and secondhand music shops that still move physical media. A single drop-off of fifty cases saves the time of fifty individual decisions.

For cases too damaged, yellowed, or cracked to reuse, treating them as a last-resort landfill item is more honest than contaminating a recycling stream that cannot process them. A few cases in the trash are a smaller environmental hit than a bale of contaminated plastic that ends up landfilled anyway.

Choosing the Right Disposal Path for Your Situation

Putting the earlier sections together, the right path depends on where you live, what kind of case you are holding, and how many you need to move. A plastic-type-first diagnostic plus a tiered action plan beats one-size-fits-all advice every time.

Urban Curbside Residents

Check the municipality’s accepted plastics list first. A #5 polypropylene case has a real shot at curbside pickup in many cities; a #6 polystyrene case almost always needs a drop-off or mail-in alternative. A quick check of the city’s website or a call to the hauler clears it up in minutes.

Rural Readers Without Nearby Recyclers

Skip the long drive for a low-weight material. Default to mail-in programs such as CD Recycling Center or Preserve Gimme 5, or pivot to upcycling and donation so the case never enters a truck at all. A stack of fifty cases fits in a single flat-rate box.

Households With Mixed Cases

Sort by resin code first, batch by destination second. PVC cases go to specialty mail-in only, since no curbside or retailer drop-off accepts them reliably. #5 and #6 cases route to whatever combination of curbside, retailer, and mail-in clears your local rules.

The Cleanest Outcome

The lowest-impact path is fewer cases entering the waste stream at all. Donating working cases or repurposing them should be the first move, with recycling reserved for cases that have no reuse value. Plastic clamshell packaging of any kind is a tough environmental sell, and CD cases are no exception.

Bottom Line

The chasing-arrows symbol on a CD or DVD case tells you the plastic is recyclable in theory, not that your curbside program will take it. Check the resin code on the back, route #5 cases to curbside or a retailer drop-off, send #6 and PVC cases to a mail-in program, and let reuse come before recycling whenever the case still works.

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