How can I reuse or recycle VHS video tapes?
I’ve always been a film fanatic and amassed quite a collection of videos over the years until DVDs came along. Most of my pre-recorded ones were given away and the ones we recorded ourselves went to live in the attic along with the VCR itself. A couple of years on, they’re still up there.
I hadn’t thought of them though until I posted the blog on televisions a couple of weeks ago then Brian emailed to say he had a similar collection of now-redundant tapes too – and now here we are: how can we reuse or recycle video tapes?
Best Suggestions
- Pass Them On: offer pre-recorded videos to your local charity shop or on Freecycle – not everyone’s made the switch to DVD and it’s a cheap way for them to pick up entertainment for free/cheap. Some charity shops don’t accept them any more because no one buys them – it differs from shop to shop and between areas.
- Reuse: Crafters have used the tape for crocheting or weaving. The resulting fabric if often used for retro-style bags or purse. Gardeners also use strips of video to deter birds from attacking seedlings.
- Recycle: Some recycling schemes do exist but they tend to be private and only available in a limited area (due to postage/transport costs). Details of some schemes are below.
- See the comments below for more suggestions and ideas
(Photo by vierdrie)
I’ve come across this website while looking for somewhere to recycle my VHS tapes. It seems that between us, we have thousands of them! It looks like everyone has some ideas, but maybe together we can devise a scheme that puts them all together.
Someone mentioned that the black section is in two sections, held together with five screws. If dismantaling all the tapes means that the black sections become recylable then its worth doing. I guess its one of those things each of us can do while watching Eastenders :-)
Someone else also mentined that they had devised a method of turning take into a 0.4mm strand of machine knittable yarn, from which bags can be made. THEN…. is it worth approaching someone like Debenhams (who don’t currently have a bag for life scheme) who can use their ‘power’ to implement a use, or re-sell them like M&S have their cotton ones? Perhaps there is a way of combining this with carrier bags woven in the same way, so patterns can be added to the plain black bags. Black is even Debenham’s chosen colour for bags :-)
I haven’t thought of anything for the boxes yet.
So basically, I guess this would need someone to almost run the project and actually get it going. There needs to be a process, and method of collecting tapes which is either free or at very low cost to get people to donate their tapes. Say, a drop off bin in supermarkets? Or if Debenhams are approched and agree that this is something they want to get involved with, maybe they could have the drop-off bins in stores. I would happily take this on but would need some other people to help so that this doesn’t become a chore. Especially the person who knows how to create the 0.4mm yarn :-)
Feel free to contact me at: emma_gleb@yahoo.co.uk
Kind regards,
Emma
I’m another film buff with a box or two of video tapes under my bed.
Our local charity shops no longer take them as donations, but I still occasionally buy new(ish) ones. My self recorded ones are being transferred to digital bit by bit, if they are of good quality. Maybe with election madness going on, one of the main parties will make a recycling drive into policy. I’m going to sit on them awhile longer til we know where we stand with recycling magnetic tape.
Our local library takes the pre-recorded ones for their book sale and they are very popular. You might also find a buyer at a yard sale or ebay.
I’ve seen cassette tape coin purses and vinyl record bags, so I wonder if VHS tapes can be broken apart to make clutch purses at all?
Freecycle/freeegle has always rehomed my old prerecorded VHS.
I wonder if considering the shape if them you could use them like bricks to make some kind of furniture or something! You can easily cover them in paper or material (even better if they are still in their cardboard sleeves) to make them look nice.
I guess it also depends on your craft and DIY skills (plus I’ve never taken one apart to truly gen an idea of their parts – to get more ideas).
I have 7 boxes of svhs and vhs video tapes from wedding that I shot in the early 80′s. I’ve got to get rid of them but I feel obligated to protect my customer’s privacy so I just can’t throw them in the trash. Surprisingly I played some and they still play fine. I don’t have the time to erase each one, I just need to get rid of them. Open to any suggestions. Ed
There is a thing called a “bulk eraser”. You just plug it in to the mains, then wave it over the tape, then you have a blank tape. Google for “hand held vhs tape bulk eraser” Professional ones are expensive for occasional use
Greetings,
I would first make them available to the wedding couple, if you know where they are..they would love to have them. Otherwise, you might have to take the time to erase them, then put them out (either inside, with permission, or just outside) of a video store with a sign “Free Blank Tapes, Help Yourself”. They will be gone in a heartbeat. I got over a 1000 hardshell VHS cases that way! Good luck!
How does one erase them?
You could record static from an analogue tv over old recordings, or a blank screen/test card.
Beyond that I’ve no idea, never had to erase tapes before.
There is a thing called a “bulk eraser”. You just plug it in to the mains, then wave it over the tape, then you have a blank tape. Google for “hand held vhs tape bulk eraser” Professional ones are expensive for occasional use
I discarded the cases to recycling and taped blocks of tapes together (using black PVC tape) to make a little platform to raise my computer monitor to a more comfortable level, another for my husband’s computer, and a little side table for the living room! If you don’t like the appearance, you can throw a tablecloth over or cover the blocks in wrapping paper.
i have 5 tones of this video tapes thats i get it from bank auction…wanted to sale at rm 0.50 per kilo….anybody interested?? email me at myyjourney_unique@live.com
You can recycle your tapes through Intercon Solutions!
Give me a call or shoot me an email…
Jessica Stanek
Intercon Solutions
708-756-9838
jessica@interconsolutions.com
I saw were you said your company recycles VHS tapes. I live not to far from you Concord, NC facility. Are you still recylcing tapes and can they be delivered to your facility.
M Bass
I bought a video tape crochet purse from a lady in Madison, Indiana. It’s pretty and it’s a very good use for video tape. Wondering if some of our “green stores” could start selling them, too.
Karen please if you may direct a digital photo of the purse to me as well as contact info of the lady in Indiana, so that I may buy one of them – I want to do reverse engineering as to how to recycle the tapes I have (3000+). If I get success in taking care of them, I would surely tell the rest of the world HOW TO DO THE SAME.
So far, I only heard on this portal that the tapes can be recycled, but nobody has come forward as to the process or procedure, except light at the end of tunnel has been shown by you.
Looking forward to a positive response from you in a very timely manner.
May correspond directly at
akt.ponderables@gmail.com
Not advisable to knit or crotchet with audio tapes or video tapes because of the coatings. See postings by great advocate of recycling Urban Woodswalker on Flickr
“It was brought to my attention recently that crocheting, spinning, knitting, knotting, braiding, and other textile fabrication techniques using old cassette and video tapes may be injurious to one’s health in the long run.
I am doing lots of research …and asking for any links or articles you might find on this topic. Old magnetic tape is basically a polymer plastic…with layers of metals on it. When these toxic metals shed often called “black dust” by crafters in the know, skin absorbtion or inhalation is possible. Tthe process of sheding this particulate matter is called “sticky-shed” —read more about it here:
http://www.unesco.org/webworld/ramp/html/r9704e/r9704e11.htm
The layers of metals that create ‘black or brown dust” contain cobalt, chromium, and iron. All can be toxic . Furthermore, wearing items made with these materials exposes them to more air, humidity and deterioration in addition to people and pets. ” see strain of discussion http://www.flickr.com/groups/plastic/discuss/72157624120579841/
I’m in the UK and I’ve sent all mine to ‘the recycling people’. They take VHS and audio tapes, but will charge you:
Up to 50 pieces £15.00
51 to 150 pieces £25.00
151 to 250 pieces £40.00
Over 250 pieces call
info@therecyclingpeople.co.uk is a contact address.
A bit pricey with the postal too (thought you can drop off if you live in the area) but much better than throwing into landfill IMHO.
Chris
Hi, I run a group of charity shops in the Carlisle area, we have been re-selling videos for years but the stock is growing and sales are dropping so I now have several thousand vhs videos and am about to loose a significant area of storage.
Any ideas please?
Jon
Sorry, should have put my email addy in, any ideas or interest please contact me at;
jon@opshops.co.uk
Thanks
In VA there’s a company located in Chantilly that offers collection events every second Saturday. They will take and recycle VHS tapes and plastic boxes for a nominal fee. $1.00 per pound which is about 8 tapes. The company is called PCRecycler Inc. 1-800-731-1909.
I upcycle/recycle video tapes by giving them an alternative purpose. I use them as roof covering, flowerpots and birdhouses.
Pictures on the website: http://www.maximalisme.be and the blog http://maximalisme.skynetblogs.be/
If you have tapes to give away and you live in Brussels you can contact me: Ognev@maximalisme.be
Thanx and enjoy!
Hiya,
If you have the plastic hard casings for VHS then you can cover them with wrapping paper or posters to make;
great gift boxes,
jewellery boxes,
money box with a coin slot on the top or side depending if you want it landscape or portrait,
book covers so that the books don’t catch dust, tan due to sunlight, creased corners or bend,
you could also slip in a family photo and keep precious memorial bits in,
pens and pencils case.
Those are a few ideas that have come to mind which i have not yet put into practice.
Hope these ideas can be a great use :)
sorry that is meant to say ‘you could also slip in a family photo and keep precious memorable bits in’ instead of ‘you could also slip in a family photo and keep precious memorial bits in’
Warning…this topic of the dangers of crafting with old cassette and VCR tapes is very real. See here for more info as I have researched this very thoroughly, and am a cancer survivor also.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/plastic/discuss/72157624120579841/
Dear MB (who lives in FRANCE).
I live in Paris and have lots of VHS tapes.
They are yours if you want them.
We would just have to work out a way to get them to you, cheaply!
Thanks
SB
Inhalation of fine particulates is a real danger. Do you want to have Chromium, Lead, and COBALT in your lungs, or your customers?
They say that eventually all the tapes shed this dust….its it worth the time and effort to create items out of this material? I wonder. I like to create items that will last a long time….not something destined for tossing out…as there is plenty of that in the world already.
These tapes were never designed with the idea they would be touched, nor exposed to hands….that’s why they are encased in plastic boxes… When we recycle, we often reUSE in ways never thought of by the manufacturers of these toxic items. In my research I found many articles stating the long term toxicity of magnetic tape.
Who would have thought that working with plastic has inherent dangers? There are some that only use a respirator and gloves when knitting or crocheting with VCR/cassette tapes. This does not seem like an enjoyable way to craft or make art to me…and the end result ultimately rusts, sheds, and causes more harm to living things.
I have loads of VHS pre recorded tapes, I used to give them to the charity shops but they will not accepted anymore, then I noticed an advert in a local booklet which came through the letter box that they were looking for VHS tapes they sold them and gave the money to the charity BHF , I phoned them up and they came and collected them, then I found more VHS so I rang them up today and was advised that they were not looking for anymore as they have hundreds.
So I am now left with a large bag of VHS tapes and dont know what to do with them if anyone knows of any recycle company who would take them away for me in the East Kilbride or Glasgow areas they can contact me by email : wilforwat77@aol.com it would be much appreciated.