I once used to store backup copies of family photos and video on DVD. Now, with hard disk space so cheap, and much faster, that’s my preferred way to go. What to do with all the backup DVDs? Simply throwing them out is too risky. They could fall into anyone’s hands. Destruction is the only option.

A search from the web suggests scratching (slow), microwaving (damages microwave), shooting with a shotgun (sounds fun), and destroying with a belt sander (with fingers in the process).

In the past I’ve used pliers to cut into the disc and twist it apart. Today I found a faster, easier, and I believe safer solution than all of the above.

What you’ll need

• a bucket
• an old tea towel
• garden gloves
• brush and shovel

Destroying DVDs by hand

You follow these instructions at your own risk.

Bucket of destroyed DVDs

1. Put on your garden gloves
2. Pick up a DVD in such a way as you cover it with the tea towel
3. With the towel surrounding the DVD bend it in half. Best if you look away as well to protect your eyes.
4. Drop bits into the bucket.
5. Repeat until all DVDs are done.
6. Sweep up with your brush and shovel any pieces of sharp plastic that missed the bucket.
7. Dump contents of bucket into rubbish for your weekly collection.

What if I have a hard drive you say?

Data on hard drives should also be removed before you throw them out. If the drive has failed and won’t spin there is not much you can do. For smaller drives you’ve outgrown grab a tool like Eraser and run a multiple-pass write over the drive to completely erase the contents.