10 Ways To Reuse or Recycle Floppy Disks

Remember when AOL would send us a floppy disk for its latest upgrade. You know, the upgrade that was compatible with the 56k dial-up modem. "Lucky day," we'd shout as we pushed the floppy into our disk drive. The computer would make that horrible Matrix noise as it tried to connect to the first number. Oh, Noes! The server is full. Oh, Yeses! The back-up number worked. Can't wait to chat about Korn!

Times have changed. Floppy disks have not. That's the problem. They are incompatible with everything. Universities and companies are lousy with floppy disks, and I'll bet that most of us have a floppy disk or two stashed in a drawer. Well, folks, here are some ideas on how to reuse them.

Contents

Send them to Greendisk
Floppy Disk Bag
Floppy Disk Notepad
Use them in a DIY RAID Drive
Floppy Disk Pen Holder
Letter Holder
Floppy Disk Dot Com Will Buy Your Disks!
Donate them to the ACT Recycling Program
Turn a Floppy Disk into a USB Drive

1. Send them to Greendisk

Greendisk is a company that recycles floppy disks and about any sort of techno trash that you can think of. That means you, Zip drive.

2. Floppy Disk Bag

Instructables has instructions on how to build a bag out of floppy disks. Nothing says "bag made out of floppy disks" like a bag made out of floppy disks.

3. Floppy Disk Notepad

This little gadget from Etsy uses floppy disks as a holder for notebook paper. It's real useful, pocket-sized and the floppy disk surfaces can be reused. Gearlog shows you how to make your own.

4. Use them in a DIY RAID Drive

You can build a RAID drive out of what is probably considered trash to most. If you don't like that suggestion, go glue an abacus to your computer.

5. Floppy Disk Pen Holder

Make a floppy disk box. Put pens in. Take pen out. Write on floppy disk notepad. You did good. I have to get this tip in before CDs go obsolete. You can take those old, old floppy disks (the actually floppy ones) and cut them open. A CD or DVD will fit in there. Wikihow tells you how.

6. Letter Holder

Mikeups, YouTube contributor, shows us how to make a letter holder, a pen holder and cubby holes out of floppy disks.

7. Floppy Disk Dot Com Will Buy Your Disks!

[i]From FloppyDisk.com: Recycling Program Extended to December 31, 2009. Send us your old diskettes and we recycle them for use. It is not necessary to erase or reformat the disks. We will erase the data and reformat the diskettes here. It's easy. Just send your discs to: Floppydisk Recycle Program 2620 Walnut Ave Unit D Tustin, CA 92780-7028 If you have 500 or more disks to recycle, we pay 2 cents each for discs. Two cents per disk? 501 disks equals $10.02. That's decent money for what is essentially garbage.

8. Donate them to the ACT Recycling Program

ACT is a program that employs the mentally challenged. They also recycle floppy disks. "Lend a hand and get rid of a floppy disk," that's my motto.

9. Turn a Floppy Disk into a USB Drive

Thomas O Connor, managed to turn a floppy disk into a USB drive.

Bonus: Make a little Starship Enterprise.

Lots More Information

5 Reuses for CDs: Turn Old CDs into New Geek Gear
6 Reuses for Old Video Game Controllers
9 Awesome DIY Projects for Tech Nerds