Best way to destroy data CDs and DVDs

[lovinglinux]

I have more than 100 old DVDs/CDs from when I used Windows. Most of them have old personal backups and software. I would like to get rid of them, but don't want to allow anyone to read the data, because they contain personal documents.

Additionally, we don't have anything like e-garbage disposal services here, although we do have a regular recycle service.

So, what is the easiest/safest way to destroy and get rid of them?

[bleeding±the±dead]

fire?

[lovinglinux]

fire?

That was fast :)

I don't think it would be very environmental friendly to do that.

[koshatnik]

Shred.
Burn.

Same with nearly all things.

[lovinglinux]

Shred.
Burn.

Same with nearly all things.

I don't have a shredder :oops:

[bleeding±the±dead]

That was fast :)

I don't think it would be very environmental friendly to do that.

probably less damage than letting them rot.

[Grenage]

Scissors.

[Sporkman]

Many modern shredders will also shred CDs/DVDs.

[Sporkman]

I don't have a shredder :oops:

The thin metallic layer on top can easily be scratched up enough to make them unreadable.

[alindgr1]

I saw on G4TV a while back where they put a CD on the end of a Dremel and spun it up to max speed. The thing flew apart into about a million tiny pieces. It was friggin cool. Dangerous, though. They did it inside a plexiglass box.

Personnally, I have a shredder that is able to do CD/DVDs, credit cards, even floppy disks.

[Grenage]

You could probably put a load into a vice at one time, then drill through, Considering the chances of flying shards - wear body armour.

[lovinglinux]

Scissors.

It works, but it will be a lot of work. Perhaps I should get a bigger scissor :)

I was thinking about some home product that could detach the two layers of plastic, so I could shred the burning layer. I don't know...I'm open to any idea.

[bleeding±the±dead]

put them all in a strong bag and smash them against a wall?

[Cabs21]

If you have an old microwave that you dont care about the possibility of it breaking use that. It will FRY the CD/DVD it a spectacle of lights. side note this is dangerous and the possibility of fire is high. would recommend doing it outside with fire extinguisher near by.

A safer way would to be a hammer and smash each disc but that is less fun. You sacrifice fun for safety and vise verse in my first idea.

Also first idea makes cool looking "art"/garbage. here is a site that explains

http://www.wikihow.com/Microwave-a-CD (http://www.wikihow.com/Microwave-a-CD)

[SemiBuz]

http://i49.tinypic.com/24vtt8n.jpg

[lovinglinux]

If you have an old microwave that you dont care about the possibility of it breaking use that. It will FRY the CD/DVD it a spectacle of lights. side note this is dangerous and the possibility of fire is high. would recommend doing it outside with fire extinguisher near by.

A safer way would to be a hammer and smash each disc but that is less fun. You sacrifice fun for safety and vise verse in my first idea.

Also first idea makes cool looking "art"/garbage. here is a site that explains

http://www.wikihow.com/Microwave-a-CD (http://www.wikihow.com/Microwave-a-CD)

Something like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaykLN6IHlk) I suppose... :)

Unfortunately, my microwave is brand new.

[bleeding±the±dead]

http://i49.tinypic.com/24vtt8n.jpg

is that how they make the goombas flat enough to put in paper mario?

[Cabs21]

Something like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaykLN6IHlk) I suppose... :)

Unfortunately, my microwave is brand new.


Yeah but one or two are a lot of fun to do. Just a thought

[Tristam Green]

The thin metallic layer on top can easily be scratched up enough to make them unreadable.

Dare I say you could use a spork?

[~sHyLoCk~]

Don't you have cat?

You can borrow mine...the damn creature ruined a few precious DVDs I'll never get back! :(

[lovinglinux]

Don't you have cat?

You can borrow mine...the damn creature ruined a few precious DVDs I'll never get back! :(

:lolflag:

Yep, I have a cat and 7 dogs. The newest one, that we adopted a couple of days ago, likes to chew stuff.

[Simian Man]

Get an old toaster from a thrift store
Take it outside
Fill both slots (or all four ideally) with discs
Rubber band the lever down to the darkness selector so it can't pop up
Stand back
Refill the slots as necessary

[Sporkman]

Dare I say you could use a spork?

Why, yes! Yes you could.

You could even make an app for that (http://sporkforge.com/sporkapps/app.php?n=100210c41cef0006ce).

[Kdar]

find a friend with shredder?

[undecim]

Just get a grinder and grind off the metallic layer off the top.

You can also melt them. How much heat it would require, I don't now, but you could use a ((sp|f)(oon|ork)|knife) (or pretty much anything that wouldn't melt) to deform it after it's nice and jell-o-ish

[ramblinche81]

I have more than 100 old DVDs/CDs from when I used Windows. Most of them have old personal backups and software. I would like to get rid of them, but don't want to allow anyone to read the data, because they contain personal documents.

......
So, what is the easiest/safest way to destroy and get rid of them?


Unless you have genuine industrial secrets or financial data, no one is likely to go through the landfill searching for your trash if you have bagged them in a traditional garbage bag.

Other choices depending on your level of compulsion.....

Break them in a couple peices should be sufficient..hammer smash a stack.

Use a screwdriver or fork to scrape the data surface.

Use an iron to reheat the data surface (aluminum foil between iron and disk)

You can expirement with peroxide or oven cleaner smeared on the data surface (it is a dye) and let is sit for an hour or so. I don't know if vinegar works or not.
Just realize oven cleaner can blind you if splashed in your eyes.


Be advised you HAVE to wash off any solution before putting the CD back in your machine to test read if you go the chemical treatment route.

[koleoptero]

Just burn the damn things, they won't pollute half as much as driving your car to get anything else you might need to destroy them.

[koleoptero]

get an old toaster from a thrift store
take it outside
fill both slots (or all four ideally) with discs
rubber band the lever down to the darkness selector so it can't pop up
stand back
refill the slots as necessary


7. ???????
8. Profit!

[lotharmat]

Thermite FTW!

[LowSky]

http://i49.tinypic.com/24vtt8n.jpg

Oddly enough a rubber mallet will destroy a CD very easily, I know from experience.

[bruno9779]

How about writing a raw image on each CD, so to trash the data, and then properly recicle them?

[~sHyLoCk~]

:lolflag:

Yep, I have a cat and 7 dogs. The newest one, that we adopted a couple of days ago, likes to chew stuff.

Throw 'em like Frisbees at your dogs and play fetch, they'll take care of the rest! ;)

[Cabs21]

do you own a gun of any kind? Great for target practice!

[Eisenwinter]

Chainsaw.

[scouser73]

I used to cut up my old CD/DVD backups.

[Bachstelze]

Steal your girlfriend's nail polish remover, apply on plastic side of CD, done.

[scouser73]

Someone mentioned using a shredder, that would be the best option I'd have thought.

[Zoot7]

Making it burn and melt from passing a huge Electrical current through it would be my choice! :)

[eriktheblu]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong here:

A CD-R works on the principle of a heat reactive dye that changes color and reflective properties when exposed to the writing laser. When read, it uses a lower power beam to avoid further damage to the disk.

Would it not then be theoretically possible to create software that would burn data on a previously burned disk thereby making the previously encoded data unreadable?

Obviously typical burning software would be designed to prevent data loss. I also suspect the hardware might have built in data loss prevention.

As there are more economical ways of destroying the data (physical destruction) I don't see much of a market for such software... except maybe for the uber paranoid.

[houseworkshy]

They make interesting mobiles which throw rainbows all over the room. With care one can heat them over a mould and make plantpots. You could make a really inefficient suit of scale armour with them and get beaten up at battle reinactments. Give them to people as coasters. Put them on an axel and make various models. Attach them to a background as reflectors for a solar oven. Quite useful for experiments in specto analysis. Lots of frisby style game potential. Stick them all together, wrap in old carpet and it will work as a cats scratching post. Potentially that is a lot of vandergraph generators. They are perfect if you ever feel like making a 1960's style sci fi set. Don't destroy them, when civilisation collapses you'll be glad you didn't.

[ve4cib]

I heard from a semi-reliable source that some government departments simply put the discs in a bag, take them out to the parking lot and hit them with a hammer until there are no pieces left larger than 1cm x 1cm. It's not the prettiest way of destroying a CD, but I imagine it relieves stress.

[geordie_123]

You could probably put a load into a vice at one time, then drill through, Considering the chances of flying shards - wear body armour.
I have done that before with a hard drive

OP: Do you have an old blender? You could destroy alot of cds that way.

[tgalati4]

Dip them in liquid nitrogen. That will introduce microcracks.

Pour liquid oxygen on them. That will ignite them.

Put all 100 on a BBQ spit, slather them with bacon grease, and light them on fire. Your neighbors will be curious.

[dragos240]

Microwave. Makes them crack in many pieces, cool to watch.

[Woolio1]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong here:

A CD-R works on the principle of a heat reactive dye that changes color and reflective properties when exposed to the writing laser. When read, it uses a lower power beam to avoid further damage to the disk.

Would it not then be theoretically possible to create software that would burn data on a previously burned disk thereby making the previously encoded data unreadable?

Obviously typical burning software would be designed to prevent data loss. I also suspect the hardware might have built in data loss prevention.

As there are more economical ways of destroying the data (physical destruction) I don't see much of a market for such software... except maybe for the uber paranoid.


Just take apart a disc writer, and go to town scribbling across the disc. It'll kill it.

[lovinglinux]

Thanks for all suggestions. There are some really creative replies :)

[scratman]

If you are so concerned about them being destroyed, why didn't you leave them on Caprica when the Eye went supernova?

[lovinglinux]

If you are so concerned about them being destroyed, why didn't you leave them on Caprica when the Eye went supernova?

:lolflag:

Because Cavil didn't let me go down to the algae planet. He made me clean some blood stains in the meeting room.

[Sporkman]

In Soviet Russia, CDs shred YOU.

"I shred you!!" --CD passerby in former Leningrad

[blur xc]

blow bubbles - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO7gaUCMItg

BM

[nerdy_kid]

steel wool?

personally id take them out back to the woodsplitter....or a bobcat if your really serious

or just make a runway out of them: drive your car up the runway and slam on the brakes....


:lolflag:


or an axe! line them up one by one and you get a workout as a bonus! :D

[fatcrab]

Throw them all in the dryer and let it run for a few hours.

[koleoptero]

Take a permanent marker and write "Windows ME" on them.

[deanhopkins]

Sandpaper?

[Sporkman]

Take a permanent marker and write "Windows ME" on them.

:lol:

...or "ReactOS".

[samantha_]

I used to use them for a model rocket design thingy I do (the lanucher section), but I stopped after the neighbors complained about my DVDs smelling bad and leaving a white-ish trail behind after it was launched.

Nowadays, I just toss them into the shredder.

[#11u-max]

rub a fridge magnet over them, prollem solved ;)

[sudoer541]

The thin metallic layer on top can easily be scratched up enough to make them unreadable.


You can boil the CD on hot water and it will become readable again so no.
just use scissors.

[lovinglinux]

You can boil the CD on hot water and it will become readable again so no.
just use scissors.

Yep, scissors will probably be my choice.

[Satoru-san]

I love CDs :D

I use poorly burned disks as coasters for my ubuntu coffie ;)

You should at one point try to snap them in half. The are very tough and hard to break, though I wouldnt advise doing that as it causes bloody hands and possibly putting out an eye ;)

I used to have a whole bunch of old windows programs, but it was just one of many things I couldn't bring with me when I moved.

[Satoru-san]

If you are so concerned about them being destroyed, why didn't you leave them on Caprica when the Eye went supernova?
:O Battlestar galactica?! :D


wget http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/The_Eye_of_Jupiter | grep supernova

[sgosnell]

Take scissors, wire cutters, or whatever and just cut a small slit in the edge. That's enough to prevent it from being read in a drive. The spin will destroy it. You can cut it on the outer edge or the inner, where it fits on the drive spindle, either will do the job. You can also just hit them with a hammer and crack them. There is no need to get carried away and shred it or break it into small pieces. A shredder that is designed for dealing with them is by far the fastest and easiest way, though. No need doing lots of work by hand when there is automation available.

I used to make guitar picks out of them, and they do work well for that, but it's really more trouble than it's worth. It takes lots of sawing and sanding to get them ready, and although you can deal with pretty thick stacks at a time, it's still more efficient to just buy commercial picks.

[oobuntoo]

100s of cd/dvd are a lot to scratch/shred one at a time. Just put them all in an oven and melt them all at once. Just try not to burn down the house.:D

[SuperSonic4]

Burn em all.

If you're concerned about the environmental impact put a kettle of top and have a coffee

[Gallahhad]

Freeze and smash with hammer.

Do this somewhere sweepable, lots of shards will occur, also wear eye protection.

Edit:
The oven idea is okay if you don't mind the fumes, or can do it outdoors.
Also note that environmentally, those disks will in one form or another either end up in a landfill, or be burned in an incinerator. Hopefully you have a good waste to energy plant in your area, and some energy can be recovered from them.

[crlang13]

I would either put a whole bunch in a vice and take a grinder to them to cut them in half (wear goggles).

I would imagine an acid would get through them pretty well, the more corrosive the better. If you go to the hardware store and find something that will just eat through anything, pour it all into a suitable tub, and leave the CDs to soak for a little while.

I think something like liquid plumber is pretty strong.

[2hot6ft2]

Microwave for about 10 seconds and watch the sparks fly. I have done this with lots of discs.

[Cabs21]

scissors lame
microwave cool
fireworks awesome (but most dangerous)

BOOM!

[Ric_NYC]

Take them to the nearest volcano.



;)

[audiomick]

Organize a few beers and a couple of mates and frisbee them against a brick wall.

The CDs, not your mates...

[Shpongle]

brick or a hammer ?

[2hot6ft2]

scissors lame
microwave cool
fireworks awesome (but most dangerous)

BOOM!
No Booms, it quickly makes spiderweb like burns throughout the disc and modern microwaves can even handle aluminium foil. They'll never get anything off of it worthwhile and would be nuts to even try. Besides you don't leave it in there long 10 seconds max.

[Kenny_Strawn]

I have more than 100 old DVDs/CDs from when I used Windows. Most of them have old personal backups and software. I would like to get rid of them, but don't want to allow anyone to read the data, because they contain personal documents.

Additionally, we don't have anything like e-garbage disposal services here, although we do have a regular recycle service.

So, what is the easiest/safest way to destroy and get rid of them?

Probably via a crosscut paper shredder. That's what my family uses.

[sgosnell]

Acid won't affect them. You can store the strongest acids in plastic bottles, and CDs are just plastic disks.

[chris200x9]

why not burn over them? I don't things like cdrecord check if they are already burned.

[bruno9779]

Acid won't affect them. You can store the strongest acids in plastic bottles, and CDs are just plastic disks.

This is so widely inaccurate... There are hundreds of different kinds of plastic, with very different chemical properties.

In the CD case it is : (from wiki)


A standard CD-R is a 1.2 mm thick disc made of polycarbonate with a 120 mm or 80 mm diameter.

and from wiki entry for polycarbonate we find a neat list of chemicals that damage it:


* Alkali bleaches such as sodium hypochlorite
* Acetone
* Acrylonitrile
* Ammonia
* Amyl acetate
* Benzene
* Bromine
* Butyl acetate
* Sodium hydroxide
* Chloroform
* Dimethylformamide
* Concentrated hydrochloric acid
* Concentrated hydrofluoric acid
* Iodine
* Methanol
* Methyl ethyl ketone
* Styrene
* Tetrachloroethylene
* Toluene
* Concentrated sulfuric acid
* Xylene
* Cyanoacrylate monomers


You have probably noticed that the first of the list is bleach. A bucket full of bleach should do the trick.

NB: ABSOLUTELY DO THIS OUTDOORS, BLEACH FUMES CAN BE VERY HARMFUL

[nerdy_kid]

NB: ABSOLUTELY DO THIS OUTDOORS, BLEACH FUMES CAN BE VERY HARMFUL

awww come on! shouldve told him to use chloroform! (joking obviously)

[bruno9779]

or Concentrated hydrofluoric acid, the most powerful acid existent, that can dissolve pretty much everything (except teflon).

It is so strong, that it's fumes alone can melt a window's double glazing

[blueshiftoverwatch]

Put the CD/DVD's you want destroyed in the microwave for about 3-4 seconds. Even with smaller microwaves you can probably fit about 4 in at once. It shouldn't damage anything either.

Although, even with this method it's still theoretically possible for someone to read some the data off of of it if they got a microscope and counted the pits and groves that weren't burned by the radiation. But unless your disposing of nuclear reactor plans it should be more than sufficient for civilian use.

[lovinglinux]

You have probably noticed that the first of the list is bleach. A bucket full of bleach should do the trick.

NB: ABSOLUTELY DO THIS OUTDOORS, BLEACH FUMES CAN BE VERY HARMFUL

I will try that. Thanks.


awww come on! shouldve told him to use chloroform! (joking obviously)

:lol:


But unless your disposing of nuclear reactor plans it should be more than sufficient for civilian use.

:lol:

[The Real Dave]

You can get a hole punch type thing that pops a hole through them, makes them unreadable, though you could probably get some data back from it if you really wanted to. Buy a shredder, there's fairly cheap ones that will shred CDs, and recycle all the CD shreds :) Lets see someone get your data back from a plastic bottle ;)

[coolbrook]

You could glue them together and make a desk lamp out of them.

[sdowney717]

I would simply uncreatively burn them in my fireplace.
This way I get a little extra heat energy from them.

[underquark]

Put them on top of a very strong magnetic coil and place it in the microwave:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBF2pn66b5M

[underquark]

And:

http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/cdzap.html

[jflaker]

I have more than 100 old DVDs/CDs from when I used Windows. Most of them have old personal backups and software. I would like to get rid of them, but don't want to allow anyone to read the data, because they contain personal documents.

Additionally, we don't have anything like e-garbage disposal services here, although we do have a regular recycle service.

So, what is the easiest/safest way to destroy and get rid of them?

Freeze them for about an hour...plastics break more when cold...

Get a bath towel....fold the towel in half (double layer)

Put a few CDS, fold the towel over the CD/DVD and bend and snap the CD and it will shatter. Do not attempt to snap a cd/dvd without protection or the recoil of the cd snapping may severely lacerate your arm and/or hand.

Recycle with your plastics...

[blueshiftoverwatch]

Recycle with your plastics...
I don't think the kind of plastic that CD/DVD's are made out of is even recyclable.

[coolbrook]

I don't think the kind of plastic that CD/DVD's are made out of is even recyclable.Correct.

[jflaker]

I don't think the kind of plastic that CD/DVD's are made out of is even recyclable.

I put my CD's in with recycling....

The other 2 options are
-pay to ship them to a recycler who will likely require payment

or

-They go to the landfill and will be dug up centuries from now by archaeologists.

[SecretCode]

I don't think the kind of plastic that CD/DVD's are made out of is even recyclable.

According to this Recycle Polycarbonate Plastic (http://ezinearticles.com/?Recycle-Polycarbonate-Plastic&id=1680662) it is - but only for shredding and re-mixing into other category 7 plastic items.

I found this: CD Recycling Center of America (http://www.cdrecyclingcenter.com/) but it doesn't say what it does with the CDs, and not being in America I haven't tried it.

[houseworkshy]

Make good drop spindles too. Still not convinced about destroying them, though I really like those microwave telsa coil pics. So what if one shoved them in a concret mixer with some rocks and the used the resulting powder in concrete, tarmac, plaster or paint. Could end up with an interesting glitter effect.

[sgosnell]

If you want a glitter effect, fly over a glass recycling plant at fairly low altitude with the sun shining. Ooooohhhh, shiny...

[houseworkshy]

That sounds like fun. And if a small bag of, oh at random, cd's for example happened to fall out of the helecopter into the furnace who's to know?

[sandyd]

or Concentrated hydrofluoric acid, the most powerful acid existent, that can dissolve pretty much everything (except teflon).

It is so strong, that it's fumes alone can melt a window's double glazing

concentrated nitric acid kicks ***.
you can dissolve yourslef in it!

[tom66]

Buy a shredder for $30, and use it.

Either that, or you can magnetize your CDs/DVDs (http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/demagnetization.html)

Or, you can microwave them. That's quite effective at rendering them unreadable, but some data might still remain.

[koleoptero]

Buy a shredder for $30, and use it.

Either that, or you can magnetize your CDs/DVDs (http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/demagnetization.html)

Or, you can microwave them. That's quite effective at rendering them unreadable, but some data might still remain.

I believe that magnetizing/demagnetizing optical media is nonsense.

[Kai69]

You could always give them to the local gun club and they can use them for target practice :lolflag:

[TheNessus]

put the cd's in the sun for a few days; they'd be burned and unusable. Then just hang them outside as decorations in your garden.

[Sporkman]

You could always give them to the local gun club and they can use them for target practice :lolflag:

Giving his data away to strangers is exactly what he does *not* want to do. ;)

[Berk]

He can make friends with them first, then they would not be strangers.

[Kai69]

Giving his data away to strangers is exactly what he does *not* want to do. ;)

I didnt know a gun could read a disk :lolflag:

[lisati]

Befriend the Mythbusters and use some of the ideas so far as the basis for some explosions.

[nos09]

ok here is the thing cut 'em and just give those garbage to recycle..

worked?

[tom66]

I believe that magnetizing/demagnetizing optical media is nonsense.
It was in jest. (I know magnetizing DVDs/CDs is nonsense. None of the following are ferromagnetic: aluminium, plastic, shiny stuff in the middle, paper.)

[aklo]

It is only 100 cd what is the trouble of breaking them?

If i have 100 cd i can have 101 ways of destroying them and have fun.

1. Put them in bunch of (insert number here) wrap it in cloth, attemp to do a karate chop and see how many you can break.

2. Microwave them? It shouldn't do any harm to your microwave + you can see nice visual effect.

3. Break them 1 by 1 ( boring)

[Gunnercw02]

+1 for aklo - pop in the microwave for about 3-5 seconds it will spiderweb the metallic face. I'd try one at a time first

[Gunnercw02]

I've notice this site is full of marines! Who said we can't learn?

[Sand & Mercury]

Put them all in a rectangular steel container and then use it to melt them all. Now you have a cube of solid plastic that you can lob at people, or use to shatter windows in emergencies!

Either that, or try using my old CD drive to read them.

[mamamia88]

i heard thermite was cool saw some youtube videos of people killing harddrives with it