Floppy disks are e-waste that are often forgotten and stacked up in office drawers. Floppy diskettes that are no longer useful are part of electronic waste that we often feel less concerned about disposing of. You don’t have to leave floppy disks that are no longer useful in your drawer when you can recycle them.
A floppy disk is a type of disk storage made with materials that can be recovered. So, instead of discarding old floppy disks improperly, they can be recycled to reduce waste in landfills.
Since this is not a regular household item that you can easily place in a recycling bin, the best recommendation is to contact your local council about recycling floppy disks.
Additionally, some companies do recycle floppy disks but they may be hundreds of miles away from your location.
What Is a Floppy Disk?
A floppy disk, also referred to as a disk, diskette, or a floppy is a type of removable storage media used to store data on computers according to multinational tech company Lenovo.1
Floppy disks are made of a thin and flexible magnetic storage medium enclosed in a square plastic case lined with fabric designed to clean dust particles from the spinning disk.2
The disks were first developed in 1971 and were generally used in the late ’70s. They are usually made of plastic and metal and can hold from 100 KB to 1.44 MB of data.
The 8-inch, 5¼-inch, and 3½-inch are the three most popular floppy disks available commercially. The digital data stored in floppy disks can be read and written when the disk is inserted into a floppy disk drive connected to an active computer or device. The disks can also be read and written when they are inserted into a floppy disk drive inside a computer.
Learn more: Recycling Vs. Upcycling: What Is the Difference?
What Are Floppy Disks Made of?
The 5¼-inch, which is one of the most popular floppy disks is made with an inner layer of Mylar plastic coated with iron oxide. The iron allows the 0s and 1s, which make up computer data to be magnetically imprinted and retrieved, while the plastic is cut into a disk which makes it spin around and retrieve bits of data stored in concentric rings.
The disk is placed inside a plastic protective covering. The plastic covering is lined with a specific fabric designed to remove any dust particles.
A 3½-inch floppy disk is designed differently, with a metal piece in the centre that holds the device firmly while it spins. The device also has a metal tab that moves to the side when it’s inserted into a computer.
The outside of a 3½-inch floppy disk is made with rigid plastic.
How to Recycle Floppy Disks
Recycling is a sustainable alternative to get rid of floppy disks that are no longer in regular use. There are some reusable options available online to transform old floppy disks into bags or pen holders.
However, e-waste transformed into bags or pen holders is not used for long and usually ends up in the trash. This means recycling is the best alternative to get rid of old disks.
Do a Data Wipe or Transfer Important Information
Prioritize protecting your privacy and remove all data from your floppy disk(s). Take your time to have your disks formatted before sending them out for recycling.
On the other hand, if there is personal information on your floppy disks that you intend to keep, there are a few ways to get them transferred.
Firstly, you can purchase an external floppy disk drive and have your information transferred into it.
Secondly, you can find a reliable company that offers floppy disk transfer services. All you have to do is to send the old floppy disks to the company and they will transfer all your information into a CD.
Once the company have transferred all the information, you can then format your disk.
Learn more: How to Recycle Used Paint Thinner
Find a Recycling Centre
The truth is that you won’t easily find companies that accept floppy disks for recycling. Green Disk and Floppydisk.com are the two American companies that specialize in recycling floppy disks.
GreenDisk
GreenDisk is a Seattle-based company that recycles floppy disks. GreenDisk accepts floppy disks and other technology devices like jump drives, pagers, cell phones, portable cassette palters, camera films, PDAs, beta tapes, and rechargeable batteries.
The company shreds CDs and DVDs and sells them to EPA-certified recyclers. GreenDisk has a small charge for its recycling services. They allow individuals to ship materials weighing up to 25 pounds (11.3 kilograms) for the same recycling service fee.
Floppydisk.com
Floppydisk.com is another company that will take those old floppy disks off your hands. The company is located in California and takes pride in accepting old floppy disks for recycling.
Floppydisk.com accepts disks in small and large quantities. You only have to send them a mail and pay for the cost of postage. Unlike GreenDisk, Floppydisk.com has no charge for its services.
The California-based company is even willing to buy more old disks. The interesting part is that if you can send them over 200 old floppy disks, they will reimburse you for the shipping cost, provided you include the reimbursement form.
- Please note that both GreenDisk and Floppydisk.com do not describe or provide details on how they recycle floppy disks.
Learn more: How to Recycle Paper Bags
Sell Floppy Disks
If you can’t find a recycling company for your old floppy disks, you can sell them online. There is a small market for old disks, however, platforms like eBay can help you find interested buyers.
Before you sell your old floppy disks, make sure you remove or transfer important personal data. Selling these devices is a sustainable way to get rid of them at no cost.
Conclusion
Floppy disks are a type of removable storage media used to store data on computers. Old floppy disks can recycled by companies, which we mentioned in this article and there is also a small market to sell these devices online.
Always remove all data from your floppy disk or have them transferred into an external floppy disk drive or find a reliable company that offers floppy disk transfer services.