The Many Ways to Recycle Those Old VHS Tapes

As more of us are making the switch from VHS to DVDs, we are left with an ever increasing pile of techno trash. Since most communities don’t have facilities for recycling unwanted media, the option for disposing of these old VHS tapes are pretty limited.

There is one on-line company that does collect and recycle old CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, old games and other types of techno junk. You provide the box and pay the postage, and for a processing fee of $6.95 (for up to 20 pounds of junk), they will recycle all that old techno trash. The company is called Green Disk and they can be found at www.greendisk.com. In addition to all kinds of electronic media and cases, they accept rechargeable batteries, zip discs & drives, certain computer components, and more.

Shipping 20 pounds of anything is expensive BUT if all you put in the box are your disks and VHS tapes, you can qualify for the slow moving media rate which is a fraction of the price of UPS or parcel post. From a random sampling of zip codes, the media rate to their facility runs $8.59 for a 20 pound box.

Don’t want to pay for recycling those CDs and VHS tapes? Here’s a few other ideas:

If the VHS tapes are still good for viewing, donate them to a thrift store, shelter home, hospital or school. Viewable VHS tapes can also offered up on Freecycle.com. For valuable VHS tapes, and they do seem to be out there, selling the collection on either eBay or Craigslist is another viable option.

Have tapes that need to be erased before donating? If it’s a homemade tape, you can simply re-record over it. Commercial tapes, however, come with an anti-copy device that makes it impossible to record over. For these, you’ll have to use a bulk tape eraser such as an Erase-o-Matic or a Degausser. These erasers aren’t cheap; for a less expensive alternative, check with a local sound studio in your area who might be willing to erase those tapes for a small fee. Thrift stores accept those blank tapes; also local security or surveillance companies who still use this type of tape in security cameras.

For tapes that no body seems to want, artisans are finding new life for old VHS ribbon by crocheting them into smart looking handbags and grocery store tote bags. If you know your way around a crochet hook, this is a fabulous way of reclaiming trash into something extremely useful.

Some of the technical journals I’ve read seem to indicate that most VHS tapes have a life span of about 10 years, however, our family has a collection of 20 year old tapes that view as well as the day they were purchased. With proper storage, those old VHS tapes of mine may even find a second life as vintage viewing material for a passel of grandkids, which is perhaps the best way of all for recycling them.

Reference:

• www.greendisk.com