Key Production Group has rolled out a recycling scheme for unplayable vinyl and CDs backed by UK indie record shops.
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First launched back in 2020, the scheme aimed to save damaged CDs and vinyls from landfills and repurpose them, but the pandemic stunted its progress. Now, on World Recycling Day (March 18), it’s been kickstarted once again.
Indie record shops like Rough Trade and Sister Ray will be trialling the service, which accepts all kinds of vinyl records, CDs, as well as their packaging – regardless of size or condition – and will responsibly recycle them.
Vinyl records and CDs are made from different types of plastic – vinyl from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and CDs polycarbonate – both of which can take hundreds of years to decompose in landfills.
Rough Trade MD Lawrence Montgomery said being able to provide a solution that was “not only sustainable, but that will also have a positive impact on the life cycle of a product is really important” to the shop, adding that the scheme “is and will continue to be beneficial for us at Rough Trade”.
The Key Production Group renewed their efforts on the service in light of a vinyl boom, with previous reports showing that vinyl sales had risen by nearly 15 per cent in the first nine months of 2023, despite the ongoing dominance of streaming services.
Music fans looking to recycle old records or CDs can send them directly to Key Production Recycling, and you can find more information on how to do that here. Having been given a second life, the recycled materials will be used to manufacture new products like pipes, and flooring, garden furniture and traffic cones.
Meanwhile, 2025 marks the 18th edition of Record Store Day and will feature over 270 independent record shops around the country, as well as thousands more globally. As is the standard, there will also be a series of in-store parties and a celebration of independent record store culture.
Post Malone has been announced as the ambassador for this year’s event. “What an honour, I can’t believe I was chosen to be Record Store Day’s Ambassador for 2025,” he said in a new statement. “Record Store Day is so important and I really hope to do my part to keep it alive.”
“We love hitting local shops when we’re on the road, seeing all the crazy artwork, the whole energy in a record store is just super inspiring. I feel at home. It’s really an unexplainable feeling to hit up a shop and dig through crates, just see what grabs your eye,” he added.
With the new confirmation, Posty follows in the footsteps of previous ambassadors like St. Vincent, Taylor Swift, Elton John, Noel Gallagher, The 1975 and Dave Grohl. Last year saw two huge names take on the title: Paramore and Kate Bush.
Last year’s edition of Record Store Day was held on April 20 and saw releases from The 1975, David Bowie, Daft Punk, Talking Heads, Paramore, Blur, Lily Allen, Gorillaz, Elton John, Paramore and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.
