Do you have a stack of old VHS tapes stowed away in your closet or basement that you don’t know what to do with?
“If you’re trying to free up some space in your storage, there are plenty of options for reusing or recycling your VHS tapes rather than throwing them away.”
Before you toss out your video tapes, check out these suggestions that could preserve your favorite memories and maybe even earn you a bit of money! But first, ask yourself why you want to get rid of your tapes.
Consider Why You’re Getting Rid of Your Video Tapes
Before getting rid of your tapes, it’s important to know why you’re getting rid of them. That will help you decide the best course action to take. You don’t want to throw away tapes in the garbage that contain priceless family home videos or tapes that may be valuable in the marketplace.
There are a few reasons why people want to get rid of their old tapes:
- You want to declutter your home
- Your tapes a damaged
- Tapes are blank and you no longer want them
- No longer have a VCR player
- Your old home movies that have been digitized
- You simply don’t want to hold on to them anymore
Again, make sure you know exactly what is on your old tapes before taking the next steps to rid yourself of them.
4 Simple Things You Can Do With Your Old VHS Tapes
1. DIGITIZE YOUR VHS TAPES
Family memories are important to show to the next generation and although we may not have functioning VCRs anymore it doesn’t mean we can keep the memories alive. By digitizing your old VHS tapes you can share your old family videos with family and friends online. You wouldn’t want those heartfelt moments to be lost! At Legacybox, we can digitize any of your VHS keepsakes to ensure you have those memories forever.
Instead of tackling this yourself, let us take care of everything for you. Take advantage of our $9 per tape offer today, and we'll help you preserve those precious memories before they fade away.
2. SELL OR DONATE YOUR VHS TAPES
In recent years, there was a lot of internet hype about original Disney VHS tapes being sold for thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, most of these eBay listings are just scams. In reality, there are thousands of listings for vintage Disney VHS tapes categorized under the “Black Diamond Collection” from the years 1984 to 1994 currently for sale on eBay. Most of them are sold for under $25, and sometimes they are sold for cheaper than the cost of shipping. But if you’re looking to make a little bit of extra cash (emphasis on the little), it still might be worth selling the tapes online.
Online marketplaces where you can sell your old tapes include:
- Facebook Marketplace
- eBay
- Craigslist
- LetGo
- OfferUp
- Freecycle
Most VHS tapes aren’t worth much but if you have collectible tapes, they may be worth something today.
3. MAKE A DIY VHS TAPE CRAFT
Even though VHS tapes are big and bulky, you can actually do a lot of creative upcycling with this piece of analog media! Check out these DIY VHS tape crafts to put your videos to good use. You could make a clutch for an 80s Halloween costume or neon lights for a vintage themed party or movie theater room.
Fun upcycling projects you can do with VHS tapes include:
- Storage containers
- Lights
- Wristbands
- Gift Decorations
The ideas you can find online are unlimited and can be fun to do with kids!
4. RECYCLE YOUR VHS TAPES
If you’re specifically interested in how to recycle vhs tapes, the laws about recycling vhs tapes are different in every state and town. However, it’s a general rule that you cannot throw out your VHS tapes in the garbage or in the recycling bin because it’s considered electronic waste. Tapes are made of plastic which will never degrade in a landfill and the magnetic tape strip coating on the film leaves behind toxic residue.
You’ll need to find E-waste recycling companies that can take these tapes and break them down to their component parts and sell them. They will usually charge a small fee for turning in VHS tapes, but these recycling centers can turn the tapes into usable downcycled plastics.
To find the closest e-waste recycling plant enter your zip code into Earth911 to search for the closest spots near you.
Recycling services that can potentially handle your e-waste include:
- Goodwill (Thrift Stores in general)
- GreenDisk
- TerraCycle
- United Electronic Recycling
Final Word
Before throwing away your VHS tapes consider the amount of options you have to give them a second chance. If they’re filled with your family memories, consider digitizing them before sending them to a recycling service. Otherwise consider using them as fun DIY projects or sell them on secondhand marketplaces. The possibilities are endless!
