Data Erasing and Recycling of Optical Disks

Toyohisa Fujita 1, Gjergj Dodbiba 1*,Jun Sadaki 1, Kenji Murata 2 and Makoto Matshuura 3

1. Dept. of Geosystem Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113 - 8656, Japan

2. NOF Cooporation, Japan

3. CDs21 Solutions, Japan

The increasing need for compliance with law and regulations on the disposal of wastes, is increasing the need to find environmentally friendly options for the clearance and removal of redundant optical disks (i.e. CDs and DVDs). In the present effective solutions for the disposal of used optical disks are put forward. The aim was not only erase the data from the disk but also to recycle their components.

At first, the mechanical crushing and microwave treatment are described pointing out their applicability for erasing the data. Next, explosion of optical disks in water was investigated indicating its effectiveness in both erasing the data and liberation the materials for recycling. Finally, a model was developed in order to indicate which way is more effective and suitable for collecting the old optical disks, prior to their recycling.

Keyword: Optical disk, data erasing, recycling, evaluation, treatment