Shift to Digital Sends More CDs to the Trash

Then there are the cases, which are made from a particularly toxic and hard-to-recycle plastic called polyvinyl chloride.

Although it's difficult to separate a CD's components for recycling, there are some programs and companies that will take them. Besides Back Thru The Future, Washington-based Green Disk and the Compact Disc Recycling Center of America in New Hampshire have found ways to reuse or recycle CDs and their cases.

It's easier to recycle computers and MP3 players than CDs and stereos. Most computer makers will take back their products and some, like Dell (DELL), will take back other companies' hardware too. Stores like Staples (SPLS) and Office Depot (ODP) also accept computers for recycling.

Using an MP3 player, like an Apple (AAPL) iPod or a Microsoft (MSFT) Zune also eliminates the energy and expense of traveling to a store.

I still buy CDs once in a while, but I rely on used-music stores. When I'm done with an old or disappointing CD, I give it to a friend or donate it to a charity. In the meantime, Ill keep buying online while the music industry struggles to catch up to an unhip 30-something, not to mention all those tech-savvy teenagers.

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