Comments on: How can I reuse or recycle VHS video tapes?

By: Home Computer Repair with an Affordable Price

Home Computer Repair with an Affordable Price — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:15:10 +0000

I’ll right away clutch your rss feed as I can not in finding your email subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Kindly permit me recognise so that I could subscribe. Thanks.

By: fashion bug

fashion bug — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:41:41 +0000

I will right away grab your rss as I can’t find your email subscription link or newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Kindly let me recognize in order that I may just subscribe. Thanks.

By: Lel

Lel — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:24:20 +0000

Found this site looking for the best way to use or dispose of old videos – thank you everyone – just have to comment on the idea of using them as insulation in buildings. The tapes are highly inflammable and can spontaneously combust if there are lots of them and they get too warm, so that might not be a good idea. Sorry, no references for that at the moment, but worth checking.

By: Cate B

Cate B — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:31:56 +0000

Sorry, it’s just published me as anonymous but I’m not really, honest!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:30:35 +0000

Not very creative I know but there is a company now that recycle tapes (audio and video). They’ll take up to 100 items per household for free although the sender has to pay the postage. They’re called Environmental Media Solutions and are based in Bristol, UK. I shall be taking mine there in the next week.

By: Christine F

Christine F — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:31:30 +0000

A great idea was recently suggested to us by somebody living the ‘green’ life in the country – use videos (in cases) as insulation for buildings. It seems they provide the right kind of air gaps necessary for keeping warmth where required.
So the walls of my lovely shed (sheds are not just for blokes!) is going to be lined with a double layer of videos, which fit perfectly between the wooden support struts, then panelled over with tongue-&-groove panels.
Local charity shops have been more than willing to offload their now-unsellable videos!

By: kitchens berkshire

kitchens berkshire — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:02:58 +0000

Woah this blog is magnificent i like studying your posts. Keep up the great work! You know, a lot of persons are searching around for this info, you could aid them greatly.

By: Mary Anne Enriquez

Mary Anne Enriquez — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:10:32 +0000

No you can’t. the plastic cannot be recycled in regular plastic recycling. I am not sure if even doing so would not jam up current methods of machines that recycle plastics. Non the less, since those cases don’t have the recycling symbol on them….they won’t go into the plastic waste stream like milk jugs, detergent bottles, and soda or water bottles.

By: anita

anita — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:39:32 +0000

Cant you jsut drop the video’s in then plastic re-cylcing container?

By: adrian Downing

adrian Downing — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:54:47 +0000

http://www.ems-europe.co.uk/vhs_recycling.php

This free service is open to domestic house holders only and not businesses. We can only accept a maximum of 100 items per household

By: Mary Anne Enriquez

Mary Anne Enriquez — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:52:19 +0000

If you go through all the comments here…you will read. However, I can post this link for you too so you get to it nice and quick..;-)

http://www.flickr.com/groups/plastic/discuss/72157624120579841/

although I would love to reUSE cassette and VHS tapes…I will not be crocheting, weaving, knitting etc. Not worth particulate inhalations, or creating things that buyers (of my work) would be exposed to.

By: kim forrest

kim forrest — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:55:47 +0000

Excuse me…. what health scares??

By: PhebeLilian

PhebeLilian — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:57:20 +0000

Or something like this:

http://www.noiseaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/jimi_hendrix_2.jpg

By: Mary Anne Enriquez

Mary Anne Enriquez — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:51:51 +0000

“Since the health scares I now knit with my gardening gloves, outside in warm weather and fresh air. ”

Yet you advocate them to be used as “lunch boxes” afterwards? The tape continues to shed and the particulates breathed in and skin absorbed by anyone who uses them. It just doesn’t make much sense to create with the tape…and then pass on the hazards to others.

By: Stuart Flynn

Stuart Flynn — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 19:21:11 +0000

The cases make great lunch boxes. I knit with the tape and since the health scares I now knit with my gardening gloves, outside in warm weather and fresh air. If you can wire the cassette shells together neatly they make quirky wastepaper baskets or a good base for scrim/plaster pots or concrete planters. The earlier memento box idea is great as the cases fit so well in bookcases amongst the books.

By: astroboi

astroboi — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 13:23:35 +0000

Somehow, paying somebody to take these things off your hands is not recycling. If I wanted to do that I’d just put them in the garbage and pay the refuse company to haul them away along with other trash. And anybody who has ever taken a cassette apart will realise that its not a trivial job; it can take 5 or 10 minutes for each one, more if you hit one of those that has odd “safety” screws or even rivets holding it together. Honestly……these things burn great! Somewhere between cardboard and pine. Simply add one to your regular log fire to stretch your wood supply. Naturally there will be folks who will be outraged at burning anything. If thats you, well, don’t use this method. But me; I’d rather extract some useful heat from these things and reduce my gas bill, reduce my volume of stuff headed for the landfill and most of all, not pay more to be rid of the tapes than they cost originally!

By: Shannan

Shannan — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 08:43:39 +0000

Drop the tape cases off to your local primary school. They make useful containers for storing small games and learning activities. They are easy for little hands to open, easy to re-decorate (just slip a new sleeve in behind the clear plastic) and store in minimal space.

I’m sorry but I don’t have a solution for the tapes themselves.

By: Liz

Liz — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 12:59:42 +0000

Use the boxes to hold embroidery threads or sewing cotton reels. It keeps everything together and they stack well. My sewing stash is far tidyer and usable now.
Use the clear or lighter boxes rather than the black ones and you can see what is in them without having to open or label them.

I have also seen video boxes used to contain a scrapbooking project, just glue in a long concertina piece of cardboard and add scrapbooking. The whole thing folds up into the box to store and the insert that the video label went into holds the title page.

By: Laptop Recycling

Laptop Recycling — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:30:49 +0000

I think for a long time video tapes was an integral part of homes, till DVD came along. This issue of recycling them has an ecumenical appeal.

By: Wade Hutchinson

Wade Hutchinson — Mon, 16 May 2011 06:03:37 +0000

Hi your idea is great and would love to take part in leading the way to the future profits lol. If you are serious about approaching big companies would like to get involved got loads of contacts with various charity shops that have excessive amount of videos so supply won’t be a issue.

By: Nick Ross

Nick Ross — Tue, 10 May 2011 15:37:53 +0000

I use a DVD/VHS combo machine for some transfer but I also have an EZ Grabber which helped with a lot of my old 8mm tapes…

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grabber-designed-capture-source-editing/dp/B000S0QIPI

By: Van

Van — Tue, 10 May 2011 00:04:15 +0000

Thanks so much for the information Knight. It’s a shame that attempting to reuse and keep items out of landfills can be so complicated and often dangerous.

We’re planning on leaving the film on the reels, untouched. We’ll likely seal the finished decor piece in a translucent plexiglass to ensure any particles or residue are contained.

In your opinion, do you think that would be sufficient in terms of safe handling?

Thanks again for the great input.

-Van

By: Mary Anne Enriquez

Mary Anne Enriquez — Thu, 05 May 2011 14:51:49 +0000

Well said. I agree completely with The _ Knight. Thank you!

More and more I am learning how our “recycling” programs mean our trash is shipped to poor undeveloped countries, which down cycle the materials…and in the process cause great toxicity to air (burning), water, and land. We all breathe and share the same water and air. and ultimately…..the global environment is affected.

I am one artist that will not use any magnetic tapes in my artwork…either for personal nor commercial (for sale ) art work.

By: the_knight

the_knight — Thu, 05 May 2011 04:18:58 +0000

@Van To use the spools for decorative pieces is dangerous at many levels. The toxic chemicals present in the tape ribbon should not be used for anything. Sadly there is no corporate accountability or those who have been producing tapes throughout the years should be tasked with finding a way to recycle or destroy them in a manner that would not create pollution and will not contaminate the environment. Since that’s not going to happen as I said earlier we are all left with 1 single option. we are forced to disassemble manually those tapes and dipose what can be recycled through the available channels and then, we have to dispose of the only non recyclable item left (the tape ribbons) by discarding them with the rest of the trash that will end up in landfills. If you live in areas where there are companies that can dispose of magnetic ribbons then by all means please use them even if they charge a small recycling fee. Make always sure are reputable and can prove how they recycle or destroy tapes in an environmentally safe manner. Too many just collect and ship overseas to poor country that end up burning them putting their health and ours to risk creating pollution that will impact everyone.

Please in NO CASE those ribbons should be used for making items that people will come into contact with.

Wishing everyone to always try to do the right thing no matter how hard or unpopular it may sometime be…and always be safe.

Cheers!

By: John Gibbins

John Gibbins — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:33:52 +0000

We are able to RCYCLE video cassettes, CD’s DVD’s reel tapes etc
Please contact Europlastix Ltd johngibbins2@btinternet.com

By: Van

Van — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:26:29 +0000

Great post! We currently have a project that involves dismantling the cartridges and utilizing the spools in a decor piece. If anyone wants to donate their old VHS tapes please let us know! Looking for old auido cassette cases too.

We’ll cover shipping :)

hello@wearemfeo.com

By: Mary Anne Enriquez

Mary Anne Enriquez — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:18:59 +0000

I have to agree. the landfill is the lesser of 2 evils, IF there is no place to reasonably get these recycled in your region. Unfortunately its now almost heresy to landfill stuff…and its not a popular solution, but its sometimes the only option to have waste wind up in landfills.

Neither is it reasonable to Burn, donate to thrift shops, make arts & crafts out of toxic materials, nor expect people to box and ship up their garbage and send to other parts of the globe.

By: Mary Anne Enriquez

Mary Anne Enriquez — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:08:22 +0000

I agree. this stuff is dangerous. someone mailed me a huge box full so I could create an art garment. I got rid of it…I don’t want to touch it. I would never give the tape to children, nor the plastic boxes. this is not reasonable “recycling.” dumping unwanted trash (albeit it toxic) on others is not ethical. This is why I refuse to crochet the tape up into purses, clothing, are other works of art…and then sell it to an unsuspecting public.

By: Niamh

Niamh — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:36:03 +0000

Imaginiative idea, but the toxic spray paint, glue and the potential for small parts to come away, not to mention whatever toxins are alreay present in the plastic casing would create very unsafe toys for children.

By: sue hargreaves

sue hargreaves — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 18:27:11 +0000

Diskrecycling.co.uk Offer : Free collection of obsolete, unwanted, damaged Cds, Dvds and vyil disks, old VHS and all related Cases and packaging.

We’re the company to call if you have 500kg’s or 50 tonnes of cd/dvd waste! We recycle with a dedicated fleet of vehicles servicing the whole of the UK. You can rest assured that whether it’s a one-off pick up or a regular weekly collection you need, we’ve got it covered. We accept all related packaging.

We offer free collection for minimum quantities of half a ton. There are around 65000 CDs to the ton. We will collect 30000, free of charge. Collections usually take place 2-7 working days from your request. Call on 08009 788 715 or click here for quick enquiry form.