DVD, which generally stands for Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc, is used to store video, audio, and data. The DVD is becoming more and more popular because it can store six times more data than its forerunner, the compact disc. Depending on the way data is stored, DVDs can be categorized into DVD-ROM, DVD-R and DVD+R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-Audio and DVD-Video, HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs. DVDs are used for video and audio uses in commercial movies and music, as well as in personal computers and games. Regardless of the type of DVD and its use, all of these are composed of plastic and metal, with its packaging similarly composed of plastic and paper.

Due to its large storage capacity and high data quality, the manufacture of standard DVD continues unabated. Also driving this increasing DVD production is the insubstantial difference of data quality between DVDs and Blu-ray discs; furthermore, the latter also requires expensive high-definition TV to be of any use to ordinary consumers while with the former any TV set will do. Unlike the Betamax and VHS wars of the 1980s, there seems to be no such thing between DVDs and its successors. In fact, DVD sales still dominate video sales at 97 percent overall.

With increasing production and growing consumption, DVDs are flooding our society. It is thus of urgent importance that DVD recycling methods and DVD recycle possibilities be disseminated over the tri-media and the Internet. Fortunately for DVD aficionados, there are ways and means to dispose of your DVDs without being an environmental criminal. One such way is to ship your unwanted DVDs to Second Life Disc and they will take care of the DVD recycling for you. Of course, if you feel that your DVDs have hope of resurrection, Second Life Disc recommends that you send them to Disc Repair Services for possible DVD recycle in terms of resurfacing or repolishing.

Second Life Disc accepts all types DVDs for DVD recycling. If you also do not want to be burdened with the disc packages (they can really take up space and are dust collectors) and do not want the trouble of burning them either, you can send them including sleeves, jewel cases, DVD cases and shell cases with their paper components. Truly, Second Life Disc represents total DVD recycle.

To make DVD recycling easier, Second Life Disc recommends that you keep all components (disc, case, and paper) separated, though they too could do it for you. They also suggest that when you shred your DVDs, especially those that have confidential information, do not mix the disc shreds with the paper shreds as these are subjected to different DVD recycling processes. If it is possible though, Second Life Disc prefers whole discs to shredded discs as the former is easier to handle using DVD recycle processes. The shredded DVDs are then melted and demetallized. Demetallization separates the plastic and metal components of the DVDs, with plastics formed into low-grade raw plastic used in the building materials and automobile industries, specifically as bumpers and composite boards. DVD recycling is very important environmentally speaking since we reuse a non-biodegradable material like plastic, which saves a lot of trees and contributes to cleaner air.