Method for recycling optical disks

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for easily recovering dyestuff layers from optical disks in the form of laminating the dyestuff layers reflection films and protective films on substrates. SOLUTION: This method for recycling the optical disks consists in dissolving extracting and recovering the dyestuff layers from the optical disks by bringing the disks into contact with the org. solvent which dissolves the dyestuff layers. For example the CDs-R of the structure formed by laminating the dyestuff layers 12 the reflection films 13 consisting of gold and the protective films 14 consisting of UV curing resins on the polycarbonate substrates 11 are cut to a size of about 2cm square by a cutter and the cut materials are immersed in solvent ethanol and are agitated for 30 minutes. Consequently the dyestuffs are dissolved in the solvent and the cut materials are separated to the substrate resins and the protective films attached with the gold films (reflection films). The resins are recovered by taking out the substrate resins from the solvent. Further the solids are separated by filtering the solvent and the dyestuff soln. is recovered therefrom. The soln. is then dried by evaporation. The dyestuffs and quenchers are refined and recovered by a silica gel chromatography method.