In which I get on your case. Well, cases.

I got an emergency call the other night. You might think organizing is a serene profession, but actually, it’s more like being a 911 operator. Alright, that’s a lie, but when someone has something they need to get rid of, there can be some strong feelings involved, a timeliness factor, and the occasional menacing pile.

“I did what you said and put all my DVDs and CDs in books, but now I have a million DVD cases. What am I supposed to do with these? Are they recyclable?”

Hmm. They don’t have a little recycle plastic code number on them, so I wasn’t sure. I decided to fake it.

“The library will almost always take empty CD cases, because they’re always cracking and needing to be replaced. Why don’t you call them and see if they’ll take DVD cases, too?”

I crossed my fingers that I wasn’t wasting my friend’s time, but the next time I talked to him, he confirmed that not only did his library take the cases with excitement, he posted the tip online, and other people tried it with their libraries and met similar success.

So keep DVD cases (and CD cases) out of the landfills, people, and give librarians the sunshine they deserve!