Is it permissible to break CDs that contain the Quran and religious lessons, and are no longer used, in order to benefit from them in decorating something else?

If the (audio/video) cassettes are no longer usable, it is permissible to break them and benefit from them in another way. However, if they are still usable, it is not permissible to destroy them, due to the waste of money involved. They can instead be gifted to someone who can benefit from them. Sheikh Ibn Jibreen issued a fatwa permitting the destruction of damaged Quranic tapes that cannot be used, because they do not possess the sanctity of the written Quran and can be erased.