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CDs · DVDs · Records · Games · Albuquerque

Donate CDs, DVDs & media in Albuquerque

Streaming replaced the disc shelf. Cloud storage replaced the CD binder. And now the closet, the garage and the spare room are full of media that nobody plays anymore. The New Mexico Literacy Project takes all of it. CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, cassette tapes, VHS, vinyl records, video games, board games and puzzles — any quantity, any condition, free pickup across the metro or a 24/7 drop box that never closes. This is the hub for my seven media donation guides. Pick the format you need to clear, or text a photo of the whole pile to 702-496-4214 and I will take it off your hands.

Call 702-496-4214 Text photos for pickup

Last verified May 2026 · Original research by Josh Eldred

Why households across Albuquerque are full of media nobody plays

Physical media did not disappear. It just stopped being used. The CD collection still sits in the binder, the DVD wall still lines the den, the records still wait in the milk crate — but the playing happens somewhere else now, on a phone or a smart TV or a laptop. The discs and tapes became furniture.

There are a few predictable moments when that furniture finally has to go. The first is the digital switch: a household goes all-in on streaming and decides the disc shelf is dead weight. The second is a move — packing a wall of DVDs into boxes is the moment most people realize they have not watched any of them in years. The third is downsizing, when a couple moving to a smaller place or a single-level home simply has nowhere to put the collection. And the fourth is an estate, when an adult child clears a parent's house and finds decades of music, movies and games with no obvious destination.

All four of those situations end the same way. The books usually have a path — a library sale, a thrift store, a donation page like the rest of this site. The media does not. CDs, DVDs and tapes are heavy, awkward, and harder to give away than they used to be. So they sit. Or, worse, they go in the trash, which for optical discs and tapes means straight to the landfill, because they are not accepted in Albuquerque curbside recycling.

That gap is what this page is for. The New Mexico Literacy Project is run by Josh Eldred, a one-person operation working out of a warehouse at 5445 Edith Blvd NE in the North Valley. I started with books and free book pickups, and the media followed naturally — because the boxes people hand me are rarely just books. They are books and CDs and DVDs and the occasional crate of records. So I take the media too, by the same rules: free pickup, 24/7 drop box, any condition, no sorting.

How donating media to NMLP works

The whole point of this operation is convenience. You should be able to clear a media collection without renting a vehicle, without making appointments, and without sorting anything. There are two ways to do it.

Free pickup, anywhere in the metro

Text 702-496-4214 with a photo of what you have and your address. I reply with a pickup window, usually within a day or two. Set the boxes out wherever is convenient — porch, garage, lobby, curb — and I collect them. You do not need to be present if the items are accessible.

Free pickup covers Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Corrales, Bernalillo, Placitas, Los Lunas, Belen and the surrounding metro. No minimum quantity. A single shoebox of CDs or a whole estate's worth of media — both get a pickup.

24/7 drop box, never closed

The outdoor drop box sits at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A, in the North Valley. No gate, no code, no appointment. Drive up and place your media in or beside the box any time — day, night, weekend, holiday.

The box is the fastest option for a few boxes of discs or tapes. For anything larger than about four boxes, text 702-496-4214 and I will arrange a pickup or meet you at the warehouse instead.

Two rules carry across both options. Any condition. Scratched discs, cracked cases, missing inserts, faded labels, water-stained sleeves — all accepted. I do not screen for condition because I sort everything by hand anyway. No sorting required. A mixed box of CDs, DVDs, tapes, games and books goes in exactly as it is. You do not have to separate the formats or alphabetize anything. That is my job, not yours.

If you also have books in the pile, that is the easiest case of all — it is what I do most. See the free book pickup page and the 24/7 book drop page for how the same service handles books, and what I accept for the full list of everything that can go in a single donation.

A closet of old media to clear? One text starts the pickup.

Call 702-496-4214 Text photos for pickup

The seven media donation guides

Each format has its own page with the specifics — what I take, what condition issues do not matter, what happens to it afterward, and the recycling problem behind it. Start with the one you need, or text a photo of the whole mixed pile to 702-496-4214 and skip the reading entirely.

Donate CDs in Albuquerque

Music CDs, audiobook CDs and the binders full of discs left over from going digital. Jewel-case and liner condition does not matter. I take crates, estate music libraries and the loose discs at the bottom of every drawer. Read the CD donation guide →

Not sure where something fits, or have a format not listed here? The what I accept page has the complete list. When in doubt, text a photo to 702-496-4214 — it is faster than guessing.

The honest reason this matters: old media has nowhere good to go

Here is the part most people do not know. CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays are made of polycarbonate plastic with a thin reflective layer of aluminum bonded inside. That mixed-material construction is the problem. Albuquerque curbside recycling does not accept optical discs — they are too small and flat, they fall through or jam the sorting equipment at the recycling facility, and the layered materials cannot be separated by a standard recycling line. Cassette and VHS tapes are worse: a magnetic ribbon wound inside a plastic shell, with no curbside path at all.

So when someone drops a box of old discs and tapes in the trash, that media goes to the landfill. Not because the person did anything wrong — because the standard recycling system genuinely has no slot for it. There are specialized recyclers that handle optical media and tape, but they generally work through mail-in programs that most households are never going to seek out for a closet's worth of old movies.

It has also become harder to donate media the conventional way. Many thrift and donation centers have grown selective about obsolete formats — they have limited shelf space and slow turnover on physical media. I am not going to tell you what any specific store will or will not accept; that changes and varies. What I can tell you is what I do: NMLP takes the bulk media that is awkward to donate elsewhere, and I take it in any condition and any quantity.

So the simplest version of the pitch is this: do not put your old media in the trash. If it plays, someone can still use it. If it does not, it should reach a recycler that can actually process it — not a landfill. Either way, I will take it. That is the whole offer.

Don't send old discs and tapes to the landfill. I'll take them.

Call 702-496-4214 Text photos for pickup

What happens to media after you donate it

Every donation is sorted by hand at the warehouse. Media follows three paths:

Resold

Media with genuine resale value — sought-after titles, complete box sets, collectible records and games — goes through online resale channels. That revenue is what funds the free pickup operation and keeps the drop box open. Without it, the service would not exist.

Back into circulation

Playable, usable media that is not worth reselling I try to route back into circulation where I can. Children's books in the same donations go free to Little Free Libraries, the UNM Children's Hospital reading program and care facilities; usable media follows similar community channels.

Responsibly recycled

Discs and tapes that are genuinely beyond use go to a specialized media recycler that can process polycarbonate and magnetic tape — not the curbside bin, and not the landfill. This is the last resort, and it handles only what cannot be played or rehomed.

I am honest about the limits here. Not every donation finds a second owner, and I will not claim otherwise — bulky, low-value items sometimes go to recycling rather than circulation. What I promise is the floor: nothing usable gets thrown away, and nothing goes to the landfill if a recycler can take it. I resell what has value, route usable items into circulation, and responsibly recycle the rest. For the fuller picture of how the operation runs and why it is structured as a for-profit business, see the about page.

A note on what NMLP is

I want to be straight about it. The New Mexico Literacy Project is a for-profit New Mexico business, not a nonprofit. Donations to me are not tax-deductible, and I do not issue charitable receipts. If a tax deduction is what you need, other organizations in Albuquerque can provide one — though most have condition restrictions and do not offer free pickup.

The for-profit structure is exactly what makes the service work. Revenue from reselling the media and books that have value pays for the truck, the fuel, the warehouse and the time. That is what lets me offer free pickup with no minimum, keep a 24/7 drop box open, and take everything in any condition without screening it first. The trade-off is simple and honest: maximum convenience, no deduction.

NMLP has a 5.0-star rating on Google and a verifiable, public track record in Albuquerque. If you have questions about how any of it works, the about page covers it, or call 702-496-4214 and ask.

Frequently asked questions about donating media

Where can I donate CDs, DVDs and old media in Albuquerque?
The New Mexico Literacy Project accepts CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, cassette tapes, VHS tapes, vinyl records, video games and board games in any condition. Use the 24/7 outdoor drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A, Albuquerque, NM 87107, or text 702-496-4214 with photos and your address for free pickup anywhere in the metro. No minimum, no sorting required.
Do you pick up media donations for free?
Yes. Free pickup covers the entire Albuquerque metro — Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Corrales, Bernalillo, Placitas, Los Lunas, Belen and surrounding areas. Text 702-496-4214 with a photo of what you have and your address. I reply with a pickup window, usually within a day or two. Set the items out wherever is convenient; you do not need to be present if they are accessible.
Can I donate CDs and DVDs that are scratched or in bad condition?
Yes. I accept media in any condition — scratched discs, cracked jewel cases, missing inserts, water-stained cardboard sleeves, faded labels. CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays are made of polycarbonate plastic with a thin aluminum layer and are not accepted in Albuquerque curbside recycling bins because they jam the sorting equipment. Rather than have them go to the landfill, bring them to me. I resell what plays and route the rest to a specialized recycler.
Is a media donation to NMLP tax-deductible?
No. NMLP is a for-profit New Mexico business, not a nonprofit, and donations to me are not tax-deductible. The trade-off is convenience: I accept everything in any condition, offer free pickup with no minimum, and the 24/7 drop box is always open. No sorting, no appointment, no rejection.
What types of media does NMLP accept?
Seven categories beyond books: CDs and music CDs, audiobooks on CD, DVDs, Blu-rays and 4K UHD discs, cassette tapes, VHS tapes, vinyl records and LPs, video games and consoles, and board games and jigsaw puzzles. If you are downsizing or clearing an estate and are not sure whether something qualifies, text a photo to 702-496-4214 and I will tell you.
Do you take large bulk media collections and estate cleanouts?
Yes. Bulk collections and estate cleanouts are a routine part of what I do. A wall of DVDs, crates of CDs after going digital, a parent's record collection, boxes of games — I handle the whole lot in one pickup, no sorting needed on your end. Text 702-496-4214 with a photo and your address.
What happens to donated media?
Every donation is sorted by hand. I resell media that has value through online channels, route usable discs, games and music into community circulation where I can, and send anything genuinely beyond use to a specialized media recycler rather than the landfill. I try to rehome what I can; the goal is to keep media out of the trash.
Why donate old media instead of throwing it away?
Optical discs and tapes are not curbside-recyclable in Albuquerque, so when they go in the trash they go straight to the landfill. Many thrift and donation centers have also become selective about obsolete media formats. NMLP takes the bulk media that is hard to donate elsewhere, gives playable items a second life, and recycles the rest responsibly.
Do I need to sort or organize my media before donating?
No. There is no sorting, no boxing requirement and no condition screening. Mixed boxes of CDs, DVDs, tapes, games and books all go in together. I sort everything by hand at the warehouse. Drop it in the 24/7 box or text 702-496-4214 for a free pickup.

Related guides

Ready to clear the media shelf?

Text 702-496-4214 with photos of your CDs, DVDs, records, tapes or games. Free pickup anywhere in the Albuquerque metro, or use the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE. No minimum, no sorting, any condition. I keep media in circulation and out of the landfill.

Call 702-496-4214 Text photos Schedule pickup